A foreign language is intrinsically related to the culture of the target language community. But what do we traditionally mean by "Culture"?  When I pose this question to my students, they tend to  always come up with such ideas as  the country's literature,  music, and/or  art,  which  are deservedly referred  to in current literature as  "high-brow culture" with a capital C'. And there are good reasons for such answers.

Generally, the universities in Russia that train teachers of English, are aimed at producing well rounded specialists and they tend to cope with the task rather well. Not only can our students communicate in English, but  they are also well read in British and American literature and can explain the historical premises for the Civil War and how it changed the nation. Students in Russia are aware of the social problems facing American society, are informed about the latest political issues and watch Oscar winner films.

Then what do we imply by "culture with a small c"? Let me provide you with the following example.
I can still easily recall the day when I first arrived in the USA in August of 1997. I was to  stay at the University of North Dakota for the academic year as a Fullbright Scholar. By that time I had had a Ph.D. in TEFL from the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia  in St. Petersburg and 15 years of experience in teaching English to students of different levels of training. On the very first day of my arrival, I needed to buy some groceries so I headed for the nearest supermarket. It reminded me of the one which was close to my  home in St. Petersburg, with the only difference being in that  the American supermarket was much bigger and the variety of products was larger. I took a cart at the entrance, strolled along the aisles, put  everything I  needed into it and being pleased with myself, I headed for the cashier.

"Paper or plastic?" the cashier asked me?  The question baffled me. What does she mean? The cashier saw the puzzled look written on my face and repeated her  question,  only this time louder and a bit slower. "Paper or plastic?" Still  not having the slightest idea of what I have to say in return, I could only stare at her in utter confusion. Fortunately, I noticed the 18-year-old  boy who was standing on the other end of the counter and who was impatiently carrying two BAGS, a paper one AND a  plastic one.

 The cashier had asked me a simple question that she automatically repeats hundreds times a day. In response to her question, the customer only had  to say into which kind of  bag she/he preferred the things to be put by a pack/bagger boy.

  Why did this tremendously simple in the structure and lexics question baffle me? Taken for granted by any American, it presented me with my first  "cultural puzzle" that I had to decode. In Russia  the majority of  supermarkets do not  provide the services of shop clerks and the customer has to pack his/her own purchases. Therefore,  the culture with "a small c", which is  related to  the everyday patterns of life was vividly manifested in this situation.

Plunging into another culture and trying to survive in it requires not only fairly good skills of the language spoken in the country, but it also presupposes having knowledge about its every day cultural patterns.

Whether  it was opening a bank account and writing out my first checks, shopping around for a long distance carrier and renting a car, buying an airplane ticket through a travel agency and reserving a room in a hotel, - all these were 'home assignments', that I, as a constant learner of English had to do. The tasks turned out to be relatively difficult not because of the language barrier nor language improficiency, but due to the fact that some of the patterns  are not typical for  my culture (for instance, choosing a telephone company to subscribe to ), or they require different socio-cultural skills and knowledge.

Several months of my 'survival' in the USA made me convinced of the necessity to pay more attention to the cross-cultural training while teaching EFL. I believe that it is also necessary to consistently and regularly incorporate a variety of communicative tasks, which deal with everyday life in the US, into the curriculum of the English Conversation course. Their range may vary from mundane problems (shopping, eating out) to more 'elevated' ones (library procedures, going out to a theater,  visiting a baby shower, etc.)

In conclusion, I would like to  present to  you the following  activity, which may be introduced to students when they discuss different jobs and careers and which may also  serve as a cultural puzzle.

There is a "catch" phrase almost in every profession. Read the following questions and indicate  people of what occupation  might  use the following phrases  and in what situation.(See the answers at the end)
1. Please, stay with us. Will be back after the commercial break.
2. Here or to go?
3. Fasten the seat belts.
4. Priority, first class or Federal Express?
5. Would you like the receipt in your bag or with you?
6. Paper or plastic?
7. What is the aim of your visit to...?
8. Hold on, please, I'll be back in a minute.
9. The check-out time is at 12 o'clock.
10. Take twice daily with lots of water.
11 Good evening, how may i direct your call?
12 Would you like a refill on that beverage?
13 And now for our weekend forecast.

Answers: 1) Anchor person. 2) An employee at an eating establishment 3) A stewardess 4) A post office clerk. 5) A clerk at a store 6) A pack boy  at a grocery store 7) A customs officer 8) A secretary on the phone 9) A receptionist at a hotel 10) A doctor  or a pharmacist 11) A switchboard operator 12) A waiter/waitress in a restaurant 13 A weather person, meteorologist