One thing about Ocean City that surely is unique are the friends you can make and the people you meet when you live here, and with today’s technology and social media, keeping in contact with past coworkers, old friends, or even temporary acquaintances is so much easier. It also can be less awkward. It is acceptable to become best friends on snapchat with someone you’ve barely spoken to, and you’ve met in person maybe a few times. Then there’s the fact that the people you can meet who become your friends in Ocean City may be on the other side of the state, country, or world.
During the summer in Ocean City, there are a lot of students traveling abroad representing countries around the world. They come to Ocean City to work, to travel and to see the United States. I have met people from Russia, Croatia, Ukraine, Romania, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, India, China and South Korea. Then there are tourists that come for a few days in the summer to relax on the beach. I’ve seen license plates from almost every state in this country. It does not matter the distance, California, Florida, Washington, Nevada. Ocean City seems to be the place to be in the summer.
The people who live here are exceptionally friendly. I never had noticed or thought about it before it was pointed out to me, but we are. Even in the summer, I had been saying why I enjoyed Greece so much to a friend at work who is from Romania; I mentioned that everyone there was friendly and would actually talk to you, and she agreed that that was one of the reasons why she liked it here so much. We smile and ask about each other’s day, whether we’re acquainted or not. I’ve gone to Baltimore and asked cashiers how they were and they would look at me shocked. In Paris, New York, Rome, people glare and pretend not to notice you. To live here and have the friends you can make here is truly exceptional.
That is the reason why I am glad to call Ocean City home; why I am grateful to have the friends I have and live in a time where the technology is available to me so I can keep in touch with them, regardless of where we go in life, even if it is back home.
