As Bella on Shortland Street, Amelia Reid is a conflicted woman, torn by love and loyalty. But once she leaves the set of the popular soap, the gorgeous redhead has no such issues. She knows exactly what she wants – to marry her actor fiancé Shadon oeredith this summer and get back to her spiritual home, Cambodia.
“It’s something in my blood – Cambodia feels like home to me,” says Amelia (25), who first visited the country in 2006 as a volunteer for the non-government organisation Sustainable Cambodia. She used her drama skills to teach children about human rights and plastic waste.
“The first time I went to Cambodia I was incredibly nervous, as it was the first time I’d travelled alone to a foreign country. This place was a million miles from any life I’d known in New Zealand. But there’s something about it that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. I feel real over there.”
Such is their passion for the country that Amelia and Shadon, who met at drama school in Wellington, have chosen Cambodia for their honeymoon. “Something draws me back there – the experiences I’ve had in Cambodia have shaped my life. At the moment I’m really craving it as I normally go over about this time of year,” says Amelia, who has delayed her honeymoon until late 2012 due to Shortland Street’s 20th birthday celebrations next year.
“I’m looking forward to celebrating being married to Amelia in Cambodia – it’s an amazing place,” agrees Shadon, who is involved in the theatre circuit and recently worked in production for upcoming film Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business. “It makes you realise how different their world is to ours.”
But, says Amelia, that’s what makes it so appealing. “Everything over there takes time,” she explains. “The lack of technology forces you to live in the moment. You have to use human tools, not 21st century ones.”
The community lifestyle means Amelia quickly learned to communicate. “You have to throw yourself in if you want to make yourself understood,” she smiles. “English is part of the education at the Sylvia Lasky School where I was working, so the kids taught me by taking me to the market and teaching me to ask for what I needed. I’m glad they did – apparently I got a few things wrong. Luckily I had the kids to set me straight!”Cambodia may be an underdeveloped country, but there’s no shortage of food. “Everything revolves around it!” laughs Amelia.
While the poverty level is high, Cambodians are generous and were quick to invite Amelia and Shadon to dinner.
“Everyone comes together,” explains Amelia.
“The community works as a collective,” adds Shadon, who visited with Amelia in 2008.
The couple are passionate about helping to develop the country that was torn apart by war for years.
“The country is still dealing with the after effects of the war and the Khmer Rouge,” explains Amelia. “Their history was all but obliterated, so the young people are eager to build on their knowledge. They want to learn so they can become successful.
“It’s an amazing feeling, being a part of it. Some of the kids I taught are now emailing me from universities in Canada and Singapore after getting sponsorships. You’ll never hear a Cambodian student talk about being bored at school.”
Although Amelia and Shadon don’t have kids of their own yet, they won’t rule out visiting the country with her own children one day. “I wouldn’t mind raising my own kids there,” says Amelia. “There’s a lot we can learn from their society. I think it’s good to experience another way of living. It’s only then you realise that your way isn’t the only way.”
But for now the focus is on marriage. “We’re lucky to have found each other.
I’m a lucky man,” says Shadon.
And Amelia? “I get to marry my best friend the way we do things best – surrounded by food, family and friends,” she says. “Hopefully I didn’t speak too soon!”
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