It’s been so long since I have written here and so so much has happened in my life in the past 6 months. I have moved to Sweden. I found a family. I am now leaving to a new family. I have a boyfriend now. And I have fallen head over heals in love with Sweden. So much so that I plan on staying here.
Since I have been in Sweden, I have made lots of new friends. I have had a few adventures, but I have had almost zero time to travel. I will be traveling a bit more in the spring and summer and I cannot wait to start more adventures. While I have been away from writing I have been working non stop. When I am not working I am with the fabulous Jimmy (my boyfriend for those that don’t know).
Time isn’t the only reason I haven’t been writing and that is why I am really writing this. My closest family and friends know that I struggle a bit with anxiety. Well that has been ever so present in my life and I have finally come to terms with a) I’m not crazy b) this isn’t embarrassing or shameful and c) I need to be okay with admitting that I have anxiety to public. I have been working through a lot of issues that have resurfaced and/or have recently come up.
There is absolutely nothing I hate more in this world than having anxiety attacks. I feel like I am absolutely insane. I feel as though I won’t ever be normal and it makes me so fearful of so many things. It has embarrassed me on one to many occasions and on some days it can go as far as controlling my every move. There have been days I have to force myself to leave the house. The fact that I feel I am being controlled by this burden makes me become controlling of everything around me. It has been such a rough journey.
Here’s the hardest part to admit… I am so fed up with having this issue and having it now start to effect the people around me that, as of yesterday I have decided to start talking to a therapist. There I said it. It doesn’t mean I am crazy; it doesn’t mean I am not normal; it simply means that I have a mental health issue that is beyond my ability to cope with and I just need a little help and a professional who can listen.
I am so lucky to not only have a wonderful family back in Seattle who has been supporting me and helping me with my struggles but I also have now two wonderful families here in Stockholm as well. Jimmy’s family has been so supportive and loving and they have also been kind enough to let me stay with them on most weekends! I have also found a new family who has already treated me with love and acceptance and I have not even started working for them yet. I am so excited to move on and become a healthier happier Riley Dayle Cochran.
So, now begins my new adventure. While I am here in Sweden and Finland (Jimmy is Finnish) I am now on a mental journey. I am not able to travel much and for right now that is really okay with me. I get to go on a new adventure and find my inner happiness. I will be trying my best to blog about all of my adventures (mental and physical). I cannot wait to see the outcome of this new stage of my life!
I am not able to post pictures at the moment because I am using someone elses computer but stick around and you will get to see what beautiful Stockholm, Sweden looks like through the eyes of Riley Cochran!
Leave your comments below or email me at riley@rileycochran.me
xoxo
Riley
just take a tour bus that allowed us to get on and off throughout the day. We took this bus around the city for a good two hours while the rain steadily beat down on the roof. We saw everything and then decided to go back to the things we thought were the coolest. Checkpoint Charlie and The Wall. Every place we went had a lightness that was unexpected for such a dark history. We had our pictures taken with some mock guards at Checkpoint Charlie. The guards were beyond hilarious and most of our pictures are of us laughing. We then walked down to a part of The Wall called the topography of terror. This part of The Wall was next to the headquarters of the Gestapo. There was a heavier feeling around that building just because 
we were told from the bus tour that, although the building was only used between 1933 and 1945, there were many prisoners that were held and tortured here. We wanted to see it but we moved on pretty quickly. The last part of The Wall we saw was the part that was full of art. This was my favorite. Each section of The Wall was used as a place for artists to showcase their talent. Each and every piece of art was a different style. It really took a terrible piece of history and made it beautiful. We also walked around the city and visited the holocaust memorial and the gate.
From Berlin we boarded a four hour train to Prague, Czech Republic. Prague is so different from most other cities I’ve been to. The city was so gothic and timeworn. That’s what I loved most about Prague. I was extremely tired and running off of hardly any sleep by the time we got to Prague. Most of what I do remember of the city comes from my pictures. I loved the city; I do know that. The famous Charles Bridge was so extremely beautiful. Each side has a tower that gives off the old medieval feel from when it was built in 1357-1402.Along each side of the bridge are statues that each are depictions of Jesus and people from the Bible. From the Bridge if you look toward Pražský Hrad (Prague Castle), in the west hills of the city, there is the giant St. Vitus Cathedral that is the most visible part of the grounds. 
It is so grand and beautiful that we found ourselves climbing a massive staircase just to get a look at the beautiful structure. Directly outside of the large estate was a quaint little vineyard that was the perfect place to take in the view of the city and snap a few shots. Prague is so historically sound and beautiful. That’s what made this city so wonderful. We spent most of our day walking the streets just taking in every building we passed. We also ran barefoot through the city in the rain! That was my favorite part of prague. My feet hurt and my friends sandals were slippery, so we took our sandals off and we ran to the train station in bare feet.
there was always something to see.The castle district was enormous and we happened upon a church that looked straight out of a Disney movie.With a colored tile roof a small black spire and a towering white spire. The church had such depth that you could stare at for hours. The church was surrounded by walls that showed an incredible view of Budapest.We took a night boat tour that showed us another stunning view of the city from a different perspective. We saw so many churches and buildings that were bigger than our cameras could even capture. We also visited a bar that was nothing like I have ever seen before. It was called Szimpla. I cannot even begin to describe it, so you will have to visit the website to see. I really didn’t want to leave Budapest. Two days just didn’t do the city justice. I will definitely be back to the wonderful city.
on our way to Venice, Italy for two days. Italy is by far my most favorite place to visit, so I might be biased when I say that Venice was the most wonderful city we visited. Aside from the 80% humidity and the 34°C (93°F) I really felt like I was in a truly historic city. Each canal and small street had a story to tell. We ran into many grand buildings. Like the Scuola Grande di San Marco, a convent built in 1293 and converted into an Austrian military hospital in 1819. It is now the civil hospital of Venice and is conjoined with the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo. We also visited a church with just as grand of an exterior as Scoula Grande di San Marco built in 1430. Although both are very grand and beautiful they are vastly different from each other. Another church we went to was Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. Built in 1681, right at the end of the Grand Canal, the basilica was built and dedicated to Our Lady of Health because of a devastating outbreak of the plague.
Aside from the magnificent Basilicas and buildings we saw many of the islands surrounding Venice from the exterior of the city. There is an island just for the cemetery. And then there was Murano; A city most famous for glass making. Unfortunately when we ventured out there not only was it tremendously hot but it was also a Sunday. If you have ever been to Europe you will find most places close the whole city on Sunday, so we walked along the quiet empty canals of Murano for a bit before we decided to find our way back to the main city and walk around some more.
We walked all day with our packs on our backs because there were no lockers to put them in. It was even hotter than Venice, but we were lucky because humidity was 10% less than Venice. Apart from the lack of lockers, the Expo was excellently set up. I was so happy to see how organized and well thought out it was. I do suppose they had, what I’m guessing, around 10 years to plan this fair. The theme is science and agriculture and they set it up to show how each country has to use science in order for its agriculture to thrive. I really enjoyed visiting every country, seeing how each country has a different way of providing food. The U.S. had a food truck area. Mexico served tacos and margaritas (my personal favorite, because of the lack of good Mexican in Switzerland) Russia showed the “degustation of its food and drinks”. All around it was really fun and I hope to make a trip back there in the next few weeks.
