Sweden – Riley Cochran

March 19, 2016

Oh the Places You’ll Go (Mentally and Physically)

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

July 3, 2015August 1, 2015

Another Adventure!

As September creeps closer, I grow more and more anxious to go to a new country and learn a new language. Until then I need to fill my time. What better way to spend two long hot months other than travel and adventure! My boys are at their grandparents until the end of August and I am not going to just sit around in Zürich and do nothing. A few friends and I decided to take one last hurrah trip before we all go our separate ways. We have been planning, texting and planning some more. At first we thought we would just travel around Italy for a week and hang out on the beach. As both of my friends are going back to the U.S. and a visit to a single country is no proper way to say goodbye to such a beautiful continent, we’ve decided to extend our horizons and venture to 6 other countries in just 9 short days. Why would we waste our time on one country when we are so close to so many other countries and cultures?

Our 9 day trip will start on a night train from Zürich to Berlin. We spend the day and night in Berlin and then we venture onto Prague. After a day in Prague we take a night train from Prague to Warsaw where we will spend a day and then we head off to Budapest. From there we head to Vienna and then Venice for two days. After Venice we spend a day in Milan. The world’s fair is in Milan right now and we really didn’t want to miss that. I cannot wait to see more of Europe this summer. I am also planning to explore more of Switzerland. I have now lived here for a year and I haven’t seen nearly enough of this beautiful country. Interlaken, Bern and the Cailler chocolate factory are just a few places on my list.

If you guys have any suggestions of places I should visit I am open to any suggestions. Leave your comments below or email me at riley@rileycochran.me

June 19, 2015August 1, 2015

Big News!

I have a big announcement. I have been in contact with many families over the past week. They have all been pretty great but I found a family that is the family! This family is so kind. They have three very sweet children and they live just outside of Stockholm, Sweden in a small town called Sollentuna. I will be moving to Stockholm in September and living with this family for a year. On top of all of that I found out that with an au pair work permit I can go to university classes for free and all medical is covered because I become a resident! I am beyond excited to go on this new adventure.

A year ago I never thought I would fall in love with a continent as much as I have fallen in love with Europe. I hope that I can stay longer than just another year. I know that God has plans and I am not meant to come home yet. It’s hard to think about all the things I am missing out on back home, but I am so happy to share all my adventures with the people in my life!

I hope to have friends and family visit and explore this new country with me. Sweden is a lot richer in culture than Switzerland and that excites me. I can’t wait to learn a new language and a meet new family. I know that this family will make learning Swedish even easier because they speak it fluently. That was an issue I ran into with learning German. Not only did the family speak French but in Zürich they speak Swiss German which is far different from German. I hope to actually excel in Swedish and maybe even become fluent!!

Join me on my adventure here. If you have ever been to Sweden or any other Scandinavian country comment and tell me your favorite cities you’ve been to. I would love to hear from you. You can also email me at riley@rileycochran.me.