I think the biggest piece of advice I would give to any American traveling to Russia - is *never* second-guess the Russians. Never try to guess what they are going to say or do next, because if there is anything I've learned about Russians, they are unpredictable. You can never guess how they are going to respond to anything, so just be yourself, try to be respectful, and open to learning from them. But know that as soon as you think you "understand" the Russians, they will do something to confuse you again )