Amanda Lindhout

Getting on a plane is hard for me, but I do it, because travel is vital to me.

I am so proud to be a Canadian.

Contemplating Christmas when you are isolated and far from home brings its own unique pain.

My captors were definitely aware that what they were doing was wrong. It came out in small ways - occasionally through a show of guilt or compassion. One of the boys bought me a gift. Another used to sneak me acetaminophen tablets.

I'm not afraid of IED's, bullets, mortars.

I don't only long for the thrill of being in the middle of a war, I must understand it; I must make other people understand.

Being in the dark, there's a real weight to it. It's heavy.

Forgiving is not an easy thing to do.

Somalia is an important story in the world, and it needed to be told.

When you see a 14-year-old boy who has never known what peace looks like for a day in his life, there's part of you as a human being that feels some degree, you can say, compassion for the fact that these boys have known war, famine, violence and death from the day they were born.

After being in captivity for so long, I can't begin to describe how wonderful it feels to be home in Canada.

I think that I find a lot of my healing out in the world.