Things that get the heart pounding

Almost getting hit by crazy Guatemalan micro-bus drivers? My arm got acquainted with the side mirror. Unfortunately, that is the most exciting part of my weekly update...
Traveling last week was exhausting yet invigorating. Minimal sleep, bumpy bus rides, Mayan ruins, the "most beautiful lake in the world" (supposedly Lake Atitlan, but I'm not sure if I'm convinced), and a noisy hostel found me completely ready to return to Nebaj and set back to work. So that is exactly what I have done.
Yesterday, I completed the first version of an informational pamphlet (in English) for Soluciones Comunitarias. The general intent is to provide English-speaking inquisitors with an idea of how the Micro-Consignment works, where SolCom operates in Guatemala, how it was founded, and a brief description of the products/services it provides. This will be particularly useful to give to the slew of Peace Corps volunteers and other NGOs who want to know how they may be able to coordinate with SolCom. Also, with a conference coming up at the end of the month centered around the use of the Micro-Consignment model, as hosts it would be nice to have pamphlets to give our guests. Currently, the pamphlet is being reviewed by other members of the team and then I will make changes as necessary.
This morning, I began to work in updating descriptions of hikes offered by the tourism office that SolCom manages in Nebaj. With a fairly steady flow of travelers and backpackers (many European), the "Guias Ixiles" office (Ixil Guides) aims to keep travelers in the region for an extra couple of days, thus causing them to contribute to the local economy. A problem, however, is that the descriptions are vague and none are in Spanish, so I will provide new descriptions for hikes that I have done and translate other descriptions to English.
While I was in the SolCom office in Antigua, I found "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" by C.K. Prahalad. The title seemed relevant to my project so I have borrowed it and commenced to read it. The general assertion is that Multi-National Corporations should adapt their business practices to include "the Bottom of the Pyramid," which Prahalad defines to be the four billion people in the world who live on less that two dollars a day. By lowering prices of products and packaging them differently (single-serving for example), the private sector could provide the poor with products that range from shampoo to construction materials. Indeed, significantly lowering prices would decrease the profit margin per item sold, but considering the sheer volume of commerce amidst four billion people, the ventures would still be in the best interest of firms. Prahalad also addresses the difficulties in distribution to rural communities which makes the discourse interesting for me as I am every day gaining personal experience in that department. In fact, tomorrow I believe I will be traveling to Canilla (four hours away...) to observe the training of new entrepreneurs in that region and will return on Thursday.
Completely unrelated: next week is Holy Week and I might have the opportunity to travel to Antigua again to view the festivities. It is said to be the largest celebration of the season in the world, but that also means a HUGE CROWDED CITY, and I'm not sure if I wish to deal with that and the six hour trip each way. I guess we will see what happens! I'm sure Nebaj gets pretty festive as well.