Even though I'm living in Mexico, I can't WAIT to go home to California and eat the Mexican food there! Confusing, I know, but there's just something about the taco trucks at home...

Your travels sound lovely and amazing.  I traveled the Balkans with my boyfriend in 2004, and it's really true that sometimes you just have to rely on the kindness of strangers and see where that takes you.  We stayed mostly with folks who let out rooms in their houses to tourists (the type who try to snatch you up at the train and bus stations).  The families often wanted to share a beer with us at night, communicating in the most broken English they knew ("hello"... "Monica Lewinsky"... "Michael Jackson"...).  It's definitely somewhere I want to return.

Safe travels for the rest of your Fulbright year!