How to destress in a stressful country?

I was educated 10 years in the USA, then came back to the Arabian Gulf (home). My country is very small, has very harsh climate, the air is polluted, everything is made of tasteless concrete structures, there are NO beautiful scenes in the country, because the sea has been recently polluted with sewage, you read it right, sewage, and the whole country, right and left, smells of sewage (EW). Ok, there are pockets of non smelly roads, but seriously! I have to escape smelly roads every day (as in avoid them altogether). I try to say mantras to myself to calm down till I get home to relax, but I live in an apartment with no garden. It's a nice neighborhood, but I really need some natural elements, something green to relax me, none exists. So any relaxation has to be artificially done at home. Can I possibly achieve relaxation, when faced with the daily "ugliness"? This place is barren and polluted, to say the least, and people don't turn to art or music for recreation, nothing cultural goes on on a public scale. Just go shopping, every day! It's also pretty crowded in grocery shops unless you go during off peak hours. So you have to plan your day around pollution and crowds. I am 33, a mom of a 3 year old, university teacher (4 cles/semester), and part time graduate student. Advice on stress reduction please. Thanks.