Throughout the TV show I got the sense that there was a collective breath being held. As the week continued on, this breath grew and grew until at last, at the climax of TV’s final episode, it was unleashed. As the credits rolled for the final time, a resounding cheer sounded across Final Control. Hugs were exchanged, drinks were opened despite the early hour, and I had the sense that a great weight had been lifted. safariLIVE had completed another astonishing show, overcame obstacles, and now, it had come to a final, fitting end.
In the aftermath of the prime-time TV shows, much celebrating ensued. That night relief spilled out in droves as everyone relaxed, had fun, and celebrated. It felt earned for everyone and then, all too soon, the evening came to an end. I went to sleep, rather exhausted after getting up each morning around 4 AM, and collapsed into a deep slumber. With the morning off, I slept through the entire night and woke up close to 9 AM.
I opened my eyes and came to a realization as the fog cleared from my head- TV was over. It seemed suddenly anticlimactic, having just come to a stop like that. I emerged from my room into the eerily quiet camp. It was quite a contrast to the night before and reminded of those early mornings when I had emerged into the stillness of the dark air with only the calls of wildlife to greet me. Eventually, other faces did emerge, but several familiar people were not among them and I was surprised to hear they had already departed, going off on their respective leaves. There seemed a note of finality to everything and once again, change was in the air.