Thank you both for the advice! I'll make a point of reading more of those links when I have the chance, but the info I've found here already is amazingly helpful.

-JoannaB I am actually from Kaliningrad,Russia, however I was adopted as a baby and taken to the USA, so I have no recollection of anything in Russia or anything like that :3

-CNGB Thanks for clearing that up for me! I appreciate it!