After spending 460 days as a hostage, I did emerge a fundamentally changed person. But I think, like everyone does as they grow older and probably wiser, I can look back at my earlier life - my history, my mistakes, the joy I felt as a young woman traveling the world - with some objectivity and even some humor. Amanda Lindhout Humor
Contemplating Christmas when you are isolated and far from home brings its own unique pain. Amanda Lindhout Christmas
The road to recovery will not always be easy, but I will take it one day at a time, focusing on the moments I've dreamed about for so long. Amanda Lindhout Time
The greatest gift you have been given is the gift of your imagination - what do you dream of wanting to do? Amanda Lindhout Imagination
Getting on a plane is hard for me, but I do it, because travel is vital to me. Amanda Lindhout Travel
Christmas was the one time of year when my brothers surfaced at home, when my parents and grandparents congregated to eat my mother's roast turkey. Amanda Lindhout Christmas
Sometimes, you have to make the choice to forgive 10 times a day when you have these pockets of anger come up. That's a lot of work, but to me it's worthwhile. Amanda Lindhout Anger
It was a slow understanding that the lack of education in a country like Somalia creates these huge social problems. Amanda Lindhout Education
Because travel has always been such a vital part of myself and so essential to who I am, I have made the decision to continue to put myself back out into the world. And that's not an easy decision to make. Amanda Lindhout Travel