Making memories in Maryland: our au pairs love this state!

Maryland seems to have a little bit of everything that au pairs are looking for, and all of the au pairs who wrote to us about this East Coast state were eager to talk about why they love living here. See all of the reasons why au pairs love making memories in Maryland below.

Images (clockwise from top left): Mexican au pair Maria Ramirez posting on Baltimore, MD’s Seated Lion Statue; Jessica Katharina Koops says she loves Maryland’s many diners; au pair Maribel Ayala from Mexico enjoying Maryland’s beautiful nature with friends; Thai au pair Laksamee Panatthanang in Maryland’s Green Street Gardens; au pair Michaela Ölsinger from Austria enjoying the spring season in Maryland; Austrian au pair Stephanie Prettenthaler loved celebrating St. Paddy’s day in Maryland; just about every au pair loves Maryland’s delicious seafood, including their world famous crabs!

1. There is a lot of action going on in Maryland—parades, parties, county fairs—and you can take the train to DC in 30 minutes. It was just perfect, and I miss it so much! —Anna Rickert, former au pair from Germany
2. Maryland is great place for meeting other au pairs—There were 6 au pairs living in my neighborhood alone!—Maribel Ayala, au pair from Mexico
3. I love Maryland because it is diverse. You have beautiful coastline to the east and spectacular mountains to the west, hills and beautiful farmland as well as beautiful cities that have everything. Maryland is only a roadtrip away from other places worth visiting along the East Coast.—Malin Jörgensen, au pair from Sweden
4. The beaches there are beautiful and a must see! Also you need to eat Maryland blue crabs with old bay flavor, it’s one of the best seafoods I have ever had.—Ina Wehmeyer, au pair from Germany
5. Baltimore is the biggest city of Maryland and it’s also really nice with a lot of things to do: National Aquarium, Ravens Stadium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, museums, cool restaurants, the Bay. Maryland borders Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia and Washington D.C., and all of these places have a lot of really cool things to do. Maryland is also close to New York and Pennsylvania.—Thalita Berti, au pair from Brazil
6. In the rural areas you can see how the trees change every day. It’s great to take a walk on the back roads and see farms. They have a lot of events like pumpkin festivals and Chrismas tree festivals.—Ana Paulina Razo Fonseca, au pair from Mexico
7. I live in Bethesda which is very close to Washington D.C. and I love every part about my city. It’s not too big but not too small either but the most amazing thing in Bethesda are the trees downtown. Every night the trees are lit up and it looks absolutely amazing.—Janina Hahn, au pair from Germany
8. I spend most of weekends going into Washington DC to investigate and learn more about American history, which I love. DC is such a vibrant city with a long history and all the people are so welcoming and lovely. The same can be said for the people in my community here in Maryland. I’m lucky enough to live in a beautiful neighborhood with friendly neighbors. —Kate Marshall, au pair in Australia
9. You can go shopping everywhere! There are 100 of shopping malls – small and big ones. Most of the time I go there to try new restaurants! —Julia Großkopf, au pair from Austria
10. I love Maryland because it has all four seasons! A beautiful fall, a (really) hot summer, a snowy winter, and a gorgeous spring! —Maeva Bielefeld, au pair from Germany
11. I love MD because it is a safe state, beautiful, the metro is so clean and it is easy so go to Washington DC or Virginia. The public transportation is great, the people are so nice and there are so many au pairs around so pretty easy to find friends and have fun. —Cindy Calvo, au pair from Colombia
12. If you want to experience American baseball games, Baltimore is the right place to be, with the Baltimore Ravens and the Orioles in one city you could watch two ball games in one weekend. Camden Yards at the Orioles Stadium is so pretty and one of the prettiest stadiums I’ve seen so far. Oh, and make sure to go to the American game Navy vs. Army in the Ravens Stadium! —Alica Rothmann, au pair from Germany

Most beautiful sites to see in Maryland:
National Cherry Blossom Festival; Annapolis Rock; Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton; Cabin John Park; Naval Academy; Great Falls National Park covered with snow in fall; Inner Harbor in Baltimore; people on kayaks all the time
Great events in Maryland you won’t want to miss:
Beach week in Ocean City; hiking Annapolis Rock; Orioles baseball game; Navy Ball in Annapolis; Six Flags in Bowie; the Holi Festival; Renaissance Festival; Montgomery County State Fair; Baltimore Ravens Game; the Color Vibe; Haunted Forest; Fields of Scream for Halloween

Great educational opportunities in Maryland:
Communication Skills for English Language and Photography at Montgomery College; weekend courses in American language and Culture, American History, American Politics and Government, Spanish, Psychology and Personal Development at Sojourner Douglass College; English at Baltimore City Community College; Advanced TOEFL class at the International Language Institute in Gaithersburg; Business English and TOEFL at Georgetown University; English as a second language (TOEFL and Advanced English) at Notre Dame of Maryland University; Swimming and American Sign Language at Howard Community College; Niagara Falls class at George Mason University; English as a Second Language at College of Southern Maryland; Au Pair Cooking Class at L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda; Museum Course at the American Holocaust Museum in DC through Virginia International University

Perfect way to spend a day in Maryland:
Chilling at Starbucks in Potomac Village, shopping at the Westfield Montgomery Mall and stroll along the Potomac River.—Stephanie Prettenthaler, au pair from Austria
Wake up and go to run to Centennial Park with a friend, then go to Panera Bread to drink a smoothie. Maybe later go to Baltimore to walk around, take pictures, have dinner or an ice cream at Canton.—Alejandra Loya, au pair from Mexico
Wake up with bright sunshine (almost every day!), get breakfast at a nice little diner (they are everywhere!), visit the National Aquarium in downtown Baltimore, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, afternoon walk around the harbor, stop on Federal Hill for the perfect view, in the evening watch a Ravens game.—Jessica Katharina Koops, au pair from Germany
Go shopping with my girlfriends, have dinner and go to somebody’s pool and gossip about life. —Maria Ramirez, au pair from Mexico
Cultural Care au pairs are in love with Maryland! What do you love about MD? Or the state you are currently living in? Click here to share your state love with us.