I can't even describe the speed at which I packed up my bags the second I heard that I could escape the boring small town I grew up in. I excitedly moved on down to the sunshine state, looking for some change, right before my freshman year of college.
For months after, I was fascinated by the palm trees and geckos. On my walks to class, I couldn't help but gaze up at the clear, blue skies and the tall palm trees rustling in the warm tropical breeze. Now, the quaint little Florida things don't phase me, but I do find myself missing some of the little things about my hometown in Maryland.
1. Real seasons.
Shelby Newman
Orlando, Florida, where I attend college, kind of has seasons, and by that I mean it drops below 60 a total of one week of the year, but there are no fall colored leaves in October or re-sprouting of flowers in spring. In fact, Christmas time here feels like any other summer day in Maryland. I'm not saying that I miss going outside in the twenty-degree weather and digging my dog a sad path through heaps of snow so he can pee on a patch of dead grass in the middle of a snowstorm, but I do miss the idea of seasons.
2. Snow days.
Shelby Newman
On a related note, snow days are awesome, and hurricane days just ain't the same, sis. I miss the days of sitting at home, curled up in a blanket in front of the window, watching the snow as it beautifully floated down to the ground between naked branches in the forest that was my backyard. I miss trudging through feet of snow in fat, water-resistant pants, to visit my neighbor-friend who I was only lucky enough to see on days when it snowed enough to get us both out of school.
3. Crabs, obviously.
Shelby Newman
The saying, "you don't know what you have until its gone," couldn't be truer for a Marylander and her crabs. All I knew for the majority of my life was good, Maryland crab. Some call it "shell" shock- moving away from the land of old bay, but can't a girl get some good crab dip anywhere? A crab cake? Anything? The answer is no, not anywhere *too* south of the Mason-Dixon line. Now, all I can do is load up my less than mediocre seafood with as much Old Bay seasoning as my taste buds can handle.
4. Non-alligator infested waters.
I will admit, gators are a much bigger threat in my non-Floridian head. Contrary to popular belief, gators aren't running around everywhere like squirrels, but they still exist, and accidents happen. There's always a little piece of my mind that knows there's a chance that one day, a gator will come out from the pond next to my apartment building and grab me by the leg. You've got to watch your back in the sunshine state, no body (of water) is safe.
5. Basements.
Shelby Newman
Another one that is taken for granted by many. Any northerner knows that a basement is a staple in any good home. My house growing up in Maryland had a big basement which became the ultimate hangout spot for me and my friends. Since Florida is a peninsula, homes aren't built with basements, and it just doesn't feel quite right. There's no good way to explain this one unless you too, can appreciate a basement.
6. Bringing out your summer clothes as soon as it hits 50 degrees.
Shelby Newman
In early March, when the cold weather begins to break, everyone brings out their flip flops and shorts. In Florida, the UGG boots and North Face coat resurface anytime the temperature drops below 70. I wish I was kidding.
7. Repping the Maryland flag, and it being normal.
Obviously, Marylanders are obsessed with the state flag, but what I never fully realized until I moved, was how common it was for people to wear Maryland themed gear in their everyday lives. You definitely don't see Floridians, or any other state, for that matter, walking around wearing clothes with their flag on it, but then again, no one else knows what their flag looks like. It is something very unique to Maryland's culture, and when I see a car with a Maryland crab sticker, I get a little excited, because it feels like home.
8. Accidentally meeting the Baltimore Ravens quarterback in a pumpkin patch.
Shelby Newman
In Baltimore, at least, your more likely than not to run into your favorite Maryland athlete. One fall day, I was picking out pumpkins with some friends, and out of the corner of our eyes, we spotted Joe Flacco, also picking pumpkins with his family. It was a casual interaction, to say the least, and the photo we took ended up getting shared on his personal Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as "retweeted" by the NFL. It was my fifteen-minutes of fame, you could say.
9. "Maryland friends."
Shelby Newman
When I tell my Florida friends about old friends of mine, I refer to them as my "Maryland friends." Many of my college friends even know my Maryland friends by name, even if they've never met. I met some of the most important people in my life in Maryland, and I also left them behind. Although I'm grateful that we all keep in contact through text, FaceTime and the occasional not-frequent-enough visits, I still often find myself missing the people who I had many of my firsts with. As much as I love the new friends I have, there will always be a part of me that wishes I was still there to be with, and grow with, my "Maryland friends."
They always say, the people who love Maryland the most are the ones who don't live there anymore. I can't say I'm one of those people, but I definitely can say I've come to appreciate the little things about it more now that I've moved away. Where ever you live, cherish everything about that place while you still have the chance. I look back at my time spent in Maryland and remember all of the great memories and people I met who will be in my life forever. Although I wouldn't move back to Reisterstown, Maryland. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
