Angelina Jolie in Time Magazine
Time Magazine has a great article up about Angelina Jolie and her latest adoption. There’s not a whole lot in there that’s news to us but it’s still a good read. They do have some background info on Pax’s life to date.
It mentions how Pax was only one month old when he was abandoned by his mother at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, leaving after his birth. For 30 days, the hospital put up notices and searched for his mother, then they placed him in the orphanage while police still attempted to find his birth parents.
The article outlines an interesting Vietnamese custom of naming children:
The child was known at the orphanage as Pham Quang Sang. Pham is a fairly common family name in Vietnam; the second two given names together mean “bright light.” No one at the orphanage seemed to know for sure — the name was on his file when he arrived at the orphanage — but the name may be the only thing his birth mother left to him. It is standard practice for Vietnamese hospitals to require women in labor to provide proposed names for the child, one for a boy and a second for a girl, in case the mother dies in childbirth. The practice is a legacy of the hard years of famine and poverty after the war when women more often died in childbirth.
Angelina entered the picture, applying through an international adoption agency to Vietnam, searching for a healthy boy between the ages of 3 and 5 - it turns out Pax was the one and only boy at that orphanage who fit the request, because although there were 31 other boys within that age range they were either unhealthy or they still had relatives (presumably they would have been put in the orphanage due to hard times in the hopes that they could return to their family some day). The article says that Vietnam’s national adoption director had ten files for boys for Angie’s request, from various orphanages.
Apparently only 30% of the children at Tam Binh actually get placed; in fact of all the children in the photo from the orphanage, only Pax was set for adoption.
Pax is off for a better life but he will be very missed by Bui Thi Bach Tuyen, his primary caregiver at the orphanage for the past 18 months. She was quoted:
“He was here, and now he’s gone,” she says sadly. “I’m very happy for him. I miss him and so I am sad — but we have other children to take care of.” She adds, “Everyone is sad since he’s left,” Tuyen says. “We have mixed feelings — happy, proud of him, missing him.”
She said, however, she wasn’t worried about how he will adjust to a new style of food in America because he already eats some Western foods like yogurt and spaghetti.
For the first three years, according to Vietnam’s adoption laws, Angie will have to send reports every six months to keep them up to date on his physical health, mental development, and his general life such as hobbies.
Ho Thi Kim Thoa who helps run the orphanage said this about Angelina Jolie:
“I think she’ll be a good mother to him. She already has experience.”
(photo courtesy of Time Magazine - Manish Swarup / AP)
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POSTED IN: Adoption, Angelina Jolie, Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt
10 opinions for Angelina Jolie in Time Magazine
charlie
Mar 23, 2007 at 10:06 am
Thanks for the article. I enjoy reading about Ange & Brad. I like how they give back without being discouraged by such opinionated loosers. I noticed many are always ready to judge what they do or they don’t do. And some think they don’t give enough (these most likely never give anything themselves). It’s also amazing how some people look for a smallest things to judge when it comes to Ange & Brad, especially Ange. Ange’s eye were open at the age of 25 and choose to turned her life around. Since then, look all that she has done! How many of these “quick to judge” can say about themselves? How many Hollywood people transformed themselves at a such young age and do something worthy for the world they live in. I am glad Ange & Brad don’t let these loonies get to them. Keep up the good work Ange & Brad.
HOTTEST COUPLE EVER
Mar 23, 2007 at 11:19 am
Angie is so pretty. She and Brad are so good together. checkers …I was reading your post on
JJ. How was your b-day???
checkers
Mar 23, 2007 at 11:38 am
#1….ITA!!!
Aren’t these couple great? I can’t think of anyone else to compare them with…They are such great role models for everyone!!
Hey Hottest couple ever!!! How are you? yeah I was on there last night!!! my birthday was great! I’m extending it until this weekend! thanks!
yaya
Mar 23, 2007 at 7:09 pm
#1..ITA!!! I’m crying because your words are so deep and true. You couldn’t have said it any better.
yaya
Mar 23, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Hey has any one seen AJ’s THS on E!
She was an angel even when she was little because she tried to help her teacher get his job back I think. It was something like that.
cynthia
Mar 24, 2007 at 1:42 am
Brad and Angie will definitely be good parents to Pax besides he has these beautiful siblings, M,Z and S to play with. He won’t be lonely. He is very lucky.
lotte
Mar 24, 2007 at 4:33 am
I love to know that magazines other than the tabloids are having articles about the Jolie-Pitts. The Pitts are no longer just for the cinema crowd.The high browed -serious readers should be informed of the Pitts future and present charitable goals . It is so refreshing to read articles about them far from the red carpets and HW glitters.
BTW, welcome Sherry!!
You will enjoy it , no doubt.
First with you, but posted before with christina and Robyn.
rs
Mar 25, 2007 at 9:41 am
I totally understand adoption and am so happy for the children that get good loving homes. However these stars are starting to disgust me. We have so many children in the states that need good homes, however Angelina and Madonna are chosing to go to other countries to adopt because its “EASIER”!!!!!!!! That is a crock if they want to do something good with thier money instead of buying a country why dont they donate that money to a US orphanage [remainder of comment removed by admin for inflammatory remarks]
Sherry
Mar 26, 2007 at 8:31 pm
RS - while I appreciate your point of view and don’t even completely disagree with it, next time I would appreciate it if you could address your point without being as agitated about it because we don’t want flame wars, etc. Thanks
yaya
Mar 28, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Rs - go back to Justjared, we don’t need you here
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