TTFN (Ta Ta For Now) – Mariah Hann

As our time in Sao Paulo comes to an end, I find myself thinking about how I will say goodbye to the friends and family I have here. How can I possibly say a final goodbye to these people who have had such an impact on my life in such a short amount of time? The love and caring they have given me since arriving here has been unlike any other that I’ve ever experienced in my whole life. How can I say goodbye to these people? After thinking about it a lot, I decided that instead of goodbye, I will say ta ta for now (TTFN).

Ta ta for now, TTFN, is one of my favorite childhood quotes from Winnie the Pooh. I would often hear my parents and siblings say this to each other, emphasizing the fact that goodbyes are not always forever. Some goodbyes are just temporary, because perhaps one day we can all be united again.

So, as I sat in the auditorium watching the wonderful farewell video that the International Office made for us, I reflected on our time here and how quickly it has come to the end. It suddenly hit me; now is the time for goodbyes. After watching the video, chalked full of memories of laughter and fun, I started to realize just how hard these goodbyes would be.

Dreading the goodbyes that awaited me that day, I realize how blessed I was to have difficult goodbyes ahead. Because, after all, it is the wonderful, irreplaceable memories that make the goodbyes so difficult. Those memories are the ones that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The memories are truly worth the heart retching farewells. Perhaps instead of goodbye, TTFN will be a less painful farewell. So, I say a final thank you to the people who make leaving so hard: TTFN.