Author: Mark A. Ashwill

Got the COVID Blues (Lord, Have Mercy on Me)

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On another lighter note, I'm pleased to announce the release of a song I wrote during the pandemic. I had the music in my head and worked it out on a piano but never recorded it. This music is AI-generated. Not bad for a computer, eh? 😉 https://youtu.be/3k38yqbpfwM?si=0MZIwCQ7fJKLiGda Here's a direct link to the version … Continue reading Got the COVID Blues (Lord, Have Mercy on Me)

Capstone Fairs Are Coming to Town! 🇻🇳

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All smiles after finishing the video. "That's a wrap!" It's true, I was a musician in another lifetime. The piano and a mellifluous baritone voice were my primary instruments. I also played a variety of others, including clarinet, flute, trombone, saxophone, etc. with varying degrees of proficiency and success. Among my many accolades, I was … Continue reading Capstone Fairs Are Coming to Town! 🇻🇳

I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza

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A boy carries a humanitarian aid package provided by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees: UNRWA) in central Gaza City [Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP] “There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.” – Cornel West I recently … Continue reading I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza

The Road Less Traveled

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A Telling Tale from the World of Educational Entrepreneurship Credit: Christian Minimalism Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. -Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken I have a Ph.D. but I'm not a professor even though some people here call … Continue reading The Road Less Traveled

Happy 15th Birthday, Capstone Education!

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Hanoi and HCMC staff off- and online after speeches and a party. Earlier this week, my staff and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. Here's a message I shared on Capstone's social media channels in text and video form. HCMC and Hanoi staff on- and offline after speeches and a party. On the auspicious occasion of … Continue reading Happy 15th Birthday, Capstone Education!

Lies, damned lies and statistics: Overseas study edition

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary ,

Here's the original version of an article I wrote for University World News. Mark A Ashwill 20 July 2024 “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain As someone whose tagline is “an academic by training and an international … Continue reading Lies, damned lies and statistics: Overseas study edition

Seeing the World Through A Child’s Eyes

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In 1901, Austrian poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) sent the following letter (and poem) to Helmuth Westhoff, a German painter and the brother of Clara Westhoff (1878-1954), a German sculptor who had recently married Rilke. Those who are primarily introverts know "how beautiful the world is and how much splendor is revealed in … Continue reading Seeing the World Through A Child’s Eyes

so you want to be a writer?

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This verse by Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) is the finest explication of writing I have ever seen. If you write, this will resonate with you. Writing is one of those precious times when I experience flow, described as "the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging … Continue reading so you want to be a writer?

“Disappointed, violated and disgusted with poor treatment from Vietnam locals”

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Below is a comment I stumbled upon in the Travel/Du lịch section of a Vietnam Reddit thread. It received 535 comments within 20 hours. As someone who has lived here for nearly 19 years and whose first trip was in 1996 in another lifetime, everything she describes rings true, especially for a first-time "female solo … Continue reading “Disappointed, violated and disgusted with poor treatment from Vietnam locals”