Nothing makes you realize all the unique aspects of your home state more than going to school out-of-state. After being at Clemson for a year, going home to Maryland for the summer, and coming back to Tiger Town once again this fall, I've become hyper-aware of the "Maryland ways." You know you are from Maryland when...
1. The sentence "we have crabs" excites you and does not make you think of a sexually transmitted disease in the slightest.
As a Marylanders, we get this joke all the time, but we are serious about our Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. Crab feasts are undoubtably one of the best parts of summer, and no matter how many jokes get thrown at us by others about "having crabs," we will never stop requesting them in the dozens.
2. You have at least ONE item with the Maryland flag on it.
The pride of a flag varies from state to state, but it's no question that Marylanders have an immense sense of pride and loyalty in our flag. You can find our flag on shorts, shirts, socks, phone cases, laptops, hanging in dorm rooms, that crab bumper sticker you saw on every car in the DMV this summer, basically any object you can imagine we've slapped a MD flag on it.
3. The "jocks" in high school were just as likely to be a lacrosse player as a football player.
Down south football is life, and while in Maryland football can be intriguing, the main sport of focus is lacrosse. You saw "lax bros" walking down the hallway that didn't even play lacrosse. And let's not forget UMD's (University of Maryland) division one team.
4. Even if you don't go to UMD, you probably have at least one piece of UMD apparel.
Whether it was a visit to the campus, a gift from a family member, a sweatshirt you stole from your friend, or even just state pride you probably own something with terps on it.
5. You've encountered both the Frednecks of Frederick and the fast-paced city-lovers of Bethesda, and you've got friends in both.
Maryland is technically the last state below the Mason Dixon line, but whether it's southern or northern depends on who you talk to. The majority of our radio stations can switch from rap to country real quick.
6. You understand why Ocean City is really Ocean Sh*tty, but you continue go there anyway.
And you've had some of the best times there.
7. If you go to school out-of-state, anytime you see someone's phone number start with 301 or 240, you feel an automatic connection.
8. You genuinely get confused when no one emphasizes the "O" in "Oh say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave" during the National Anthem.
Whether you're a die-hard Nationals/Redskins fan or a die-hard Orioles/Ravens fan, if you've lived in Maryland you've heard this version of the Anthem. And I can tell you from experience it's pretty unsettling hearing it without the "O."
9. You can recite these cheesy commercial jingles in your sleep.
10. No matter where you currently are living for the majority of the year, you will always be proud to call Maryland home.
#MDforlife!!!!
