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 greatest gift you have been given is the gift of your imagination - what do you dream of wanting to do? -Amanda Lindhout Imagination
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
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
Getting on a plane is hard for me, but I do it, because travel is vital to me. -Amanda Lindhout Travel
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
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
It was a slow understanding that the lack of education in a country like Somalia creates these huge social problems. -Amanda Lindhout Education
