Reporter’s Notebook: Getting acclimated

“Nassau is definitely better than Suffolk.”

That was a mindset a lot of us kiddos had growing up on the western end of the island, at least in my circle. Part of that was because our whole lives had been in Nassau County — family, school, jobs, girlfriends. Actually, my girlfriend is still there, but we’re working to change that. 

Anyway, let me get back on track here.

Where was I? Oh, yes: Another part is that, frankly, we just didn’t know much about Suffolk County other than that it wasn’t where we lived. I began as a reporter covering Nassau out of college and spent a few years learning more and more about the county I was already familiar with. I mostly covered the City of Long Beach — my hometown — and all the happenings there.

That planted my roots deeper there. Getting the chance to cover the city I grew up in showed me things that I may have otherwise not noticed as a resident. I got to know city officials, business owners and community leaders in ways I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. All of the connections I made professionally made me feel that I wasn’t just living in the community, but I was a real part of the community.

People in Long Beach — both elected officials and residents — came to me with all sorts of stories: breaking news, feature ideas. Sometimes they didn’t even have stories but just wanted to share their thoughts on something, no matter how big or how small. I loved that, because it showed that people trusted me enough to share whatever was on their mind.

Then this opportunity with Times Review arose, and I went for it.

To me, at least, when I thought about Suffolk County, the North Fork and South Fork didn’t necessarily come to mind. Now, I’m basically two months into my role covering the North Fork, and man, what a way to learn about the county I “didn’t know as much about.” It’s been fun getting acclimated.

I think that was a good way to come into this new role. I didn’t have any real expectations or preconceived notions for what the East End might be like. That’s not to say I wasn’t nervous, though. I was absolutely nervous. Having to learn new communities and people from scratch? Definitely a little nerve-racking. But to me, being nervous shows you care about whatever it is, and I cared.

I’ve had the pleasure of doing some reporting in Riverhead, Southold, Mattituck and Greenport, and it’s certainly been interesting. Everything from ICE agents being spotted and backlash at board meetings to community fundraisers and features, one thing has been apparent to me so far: people love their communities passionately.

That’s what you want to see if you’re a reporter. If people love where they live and care about what’s going on, they’ll talk to you about those things. They’ll share thoughts with you, they’ll tell you the things you want to hear and the things you don’t. But the bottom line is, people who care about their communities will talk, which makes my job more enjoyable, too, because I love to talk to people.

I’ve only been here a short time still, but I feel as though some nice connections have already been made. I’ve met and spoken with some great people who have welcomed me into their communities. It’s made my transition so much easier, so everyone I’ve spoken to so far — and those I hope to speak with in the future — thank you. 

After these two months, I can confidently say that Nassau is not definitely better than Suffolk. Each county has unique aspects that make it great. Each county also has some things that aren’t so “great” that get community members out of their homes and to meetings, voicing their opinions. That is great too, though, because, again, it shows people care.

Now that I look back at this piece of writing that you’ve come this far reading, it seems like a long-winded way of saying: Long Island as a whole is great, and I’ve had the privilege of covering both ends of it. I’m excited to keep going, meet more people, learn even more about the intricacies of each community and get more acclimated.