Rescued Canadian peace activist James Loney told the media Thursday that he is "overwhelmed" by the mundane things of life after his four-month ordeal as a hostage in Iraq.
"I am overwhelmed, everything is new and incredible and amazing," Loney said at the press conference.
"The sound of a spoon stirring sugar into a cup of tea, my dad feeding the cat in the morning."
"Today is the great day for everybody."
The 41-year-old said he was overjoyed by the outpouring of support from his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
He said he took a walk Wednesday morning around the neighbourhood and noticed the red flags and posters displayed as a tribute to his safe return.
Loney also described a walk he took on Monday to the barber shop as "the most fun I've had in years."
He arrived in Canada on Sunday after being freed last week by elite British, Canadian and American soldiers in Baghdad following four months of captivity by a radical group.
He was rescued alongside fellow Christian Peacemaker Teams members Harmeet Singh Sooden, 33, a former Montreal resident, and Briton Norman Kember, 74.
Refusing to take questions from the media, Loney said his recovery was moving more slowly than he expected.
"When we were released I was sure that we could walk right back into ordinary life," Loney said. "I'm learning the hard way that I need to take things slowly, a little at a time in eye-drop quantities."
"When I can get through an ordinary day without shaking legs and a pounding heart I think that'll be a sign that I can start to tell my story."
He applauded Thursday's release of Jill Carroll, the U.S. reporter kidnapped in Iraq three months ago.
"Today is a day for great rejoicing, Jill Carroll is free, her life has been given back to her and to all those who love her."
After thanking the soldiers who rescued him, Loney said his decision to go to Iraq was based on his pacifist views.
He said the death of a soldier in Afghanistan, a close friend-of-a-friend, made him think "that peace can never be achieved through the barrel of a gun."
"It is my responsibility to try to take some of the risks that soldiers take using the tools of non-violence instead of the weapons of war."
Loney's mother, Claudette, thanked the public for their ongoing support.
"Our lives have unfolded before you," she told reporters. "And now we can all rejoice."
Dan Hunt, Loney's partner, said that he also felt in captivity during the ordeal.
Their relationship was kept quiet while Loney was held hostage because of fears his sexual orientation could endanger his life in Iraq.
"On the day that James disappeared I had to disappear too," Hunt said. "Because I wasn't seen, a big part of James' life also wasn't seen."
He described their life before and after the ordeal as "rich."
"He and I have a rich life together," Hunt said. "I want to thank all of those people who haven't been seen yet for helping me through these tough times."
The couple lives in a community of adjoining
households known as the Toronto Catholic Worker.
The community consists of about 30 people, some in need of assistance and others who have made long-term commitments to the housing project.
On Wednesday, Loney posed for photographers outside his parents' home in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. with his family and Hunt.
The family said they preempted Thursday's official press conference to satisfy hordes of media camped outside the residence.
He didn't respond to any of the questions shouted out by reporters, with the exception of one, where he said he washed his first set of dishes in the morning.
The question was in response to Loney's statement upon his arrival in Canada when he said he was looking forward to washing "a sink full of dirty dishes."
The Soo News reported Loney returned to the northern Ontario home late Tuesday night with Hunt.
During the initial reunion, Loney reportedly hugged his mother for several minutes and cried with his parents. The family then enjoyed champagne and pizza and swapped stories.
Sooden, who returned to New Zealand where his family lives, has not publicly discussed his experience aside from brief statements made to the press.
Kember, however, has given his first interview. He told The Baptist Times his captors had allowed them writing pads and exercise. Kember also got the medicine he needed for his high blood pressure.
He described the ordeal as "desperate" and said part of his life was "stolen" while he was in captivity.
American Tom Fox, who had also been kidnapped, was found on a Baghdad street March 10. He had been shot to death.
