Being a freshman at a big state school is scary for anyone, but coming from your home 605 miles away is even more frightening. I'd been in the state of Maryland twice before I moved into UMD in late August, so I didn't know much about it. I became quick friends with the people on my floor, so it felt like home the second day I moved in, but there was so much I needed to learn about Maryland before I could/can consider myself a Marylander. Not many people come to Maryland from Kentucky, so I'm figuring it out all on my own. I thought I'd help others who are in similar boats as me not feel so out of the loop when talking to in-staters.
They love their flag
Marylanders love their flag, scratch that, they worship their flag. It can be found on any article of clothing, every building, and all over their transportation. Coming from Kentucky, the state flag is not something that's found ALL over the city, but in Maryland, it's literally everywhere.
You're not from a city, you're from a county
I'm pretty sure every other state refers to where they're from by the city, but not in Maryland. Everyone tells you what county they're from, and I swear I haven't heard the same one twice. There are twenty-four counties in Maryland, but to an out-of-stater, it feels like 50. Be kind to us and explain what city you live closest to please.
Maryland Dairy is the best ice cream
Don't even try to argue it. As someone from Kentucky, I would have to argue Graeter's Ice Cream is by far the best in the country, but Marylanders are quick to disagree. You can try to say your opinion as much as you want, but their minds will not be changed.
They shout during the National Anthem
The first sports event I attended at UMD was the UMD football game versus Texas at Fed Ex field. I was already shell-shocked by the fact we were so close to DC, but when we sang the national anthem, I had another surprise coming for me. Everyone in the stadium shouts the "oh" in the line "oh say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave," and let me tell you hearing it for the first time was quite terrifying. They scream it to represent their loyalty and love for the Baltimore Orioles. I've been to a few different sporting events since then, and I still jump a little at the collective scream.
They have their own lingo
Hip is a term used by almost every in-state person, and it's one I still can't get down. It translates to agreeing with someone, which is not how I've ever used the word. I always thought it meant "cool," but man am I wrong.
Baltimore is pronounced Baldimore by the people who are from there, or a county surrounding it. Those from Baltimore County have a much more distinct way of saying certain words such as wash being pronounced warsh.
Ledo's Pizza
There is no other pizza nearly as good as Ledo's for one reason: it's cut into squares.
Chipotle reigns
Chipotle vs. Qdoba is a very real competition, but I've learned that up here Chipotle will always be superior. I'm a loyal Qdoba fan and refuse to go to Chipotle, so I've learned to keep my mouth shut when the topic is brought up to avoid being scolded. It's a topic I try to avoid after I learned my lesson the hard way. Sorry Marylanders, Qdoba will always be superior in my book.
Dressing up for class is a rarity
Specifically, at UMD, people don't usually dress up for class. You'll see girls in workout tanks and sports shorts more often than even a t-shirt and sports shorts. As someone who likes to "dress up" a little bit, meaning chino shorts and a v-neck, learning this has already made my motivation to "dress nice" deteriorate.
Sweek is a very real thing
As a freshman specifically I feel like I hear about sweek more than I hear about the Maryland flag, and that's saying something. So for anyone else who doesn't experience a sweek let me explain it to you here, so you don't have to sound like an idiot when you don't know what it is. It's a week over the summer where Maryland graduated seniors go to ocean city, or somewhere like that, rent a house with all of their friends, and party. You'll hear endless stories about it, I'm warning you now.
Being from Kentucky might as well be like being from Antarctica
I knew I'd get weird looks from people when I say I'm from Kentucky, but I didn't expect it to be as big of a deal as it is to people. It's the same reaction every time: their eyes go big, they exclaim "oh" and then proceed to ask "so why are you here?" I recite the same reason over and over again, but they still look at me as though I'm an alien. No one knows how to pronounce Louisville correctly, and there's a handful of people I've met who don't even know where exactly Kentucky is located. I can't blame them though because a lot of my friends from home didn't know where Maryland was...
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