I've lived in a small town in Maryland all my life. Whenever anyone asks where I'm from, they don't believe me when I reply "Hollywood, Maryland". It's a real place, people. I promise. To be exact, it's a small town in what feels like the even smaller St. Mary's County. In my hometown, people treat one another as family - mostly because almost everyone is somehow related whether they know it or not. Everyone knows everyone's business and the town's biggest event is the County Fair, but this place is and always will be my home.
When I would picture my life in the future back in high school, I always saw a life very different from the world in which I currently lived. I wanted a fast-paced lifestyle full of new faces and experiences. When I received my acceptance letter to Towson University in the mail, I knew that coming fall my life would change forever and the life I had always pictured would soon become my reality.
As my countdown to freshman move-in day drew closer, I thought I had a crystal clear picture of what living in the city would be like. I was restless to move out and gain my own experiences in an exciting new place with all the confidence in the world. Within five minutes of my parents moving me in and bidding me farewell until Thanksgiving, I quickly learned that I wasn't just living in another city - I was in another world.
Adjusting to any new place can be difficult and scary at times. Whether it's going away to college, moving as a military family when your parents are reassigned, or simply going off to find a place that feels most like home, there is always an adjustment period to any new environment. Looking back on my not-so-smooth adjustment to city life, there are some tips on living in the city (Towson specifically) that I wish I knew prior to leaving my comfortable, Southern Maryland nest.
Taxis are not just those cars you see in the movies where you whistle and jump in.
I'd never been in a taxi prior to moving to Towson, nor did I know how to track them down to get a ride. I tried the whistling thing and flailing my arms like an idiot to get the attention of the cab drivers, but nothing really seemed to work. Turns out the Cab service that runs in Towson is one where you call and arrange for a pick-up. So that was kind of my bad.
You thought driving behind a tractor was annoying? Try city traffic at every hour of the day.
Another thing I truly underestimated was the bumper-to-bumper of the city and how your destination might be five minutes away, but you shouldn't expect to be there anywhere less than 30 minutes. After three years of living in Towson, I still haven't quite mastered that timing when going to class, the movies, dinner plans, etc.
You can't park your car anywhere you damn well please.
Back at home, parking really is never an issue - and can often times get rather creative. People park in ditches, in the middle of yard, some on sidewalks (that's a bit extreme if you ask me) and there never seems to be an issue. When parking in the city, you have to triple check you're allowed to park in that area, pay for parking, and almost always parallel park into spots or it will result in a hefty tow fine.
