Pen pals in France

Ask a French primary-school pupil about their week and Wednesday may sound like a second weekend. Most primary schools in France work a four-day week, with no lessons on Wednesday, a habit that goes back to the nineteenth century and has survived several attempts at reform. Wednesday is for sport, music lessons, grandparents and clubs, so if your pen pal is younger, it is a good day to ask about. Older pupils at collège and lycée usually have lessons on Wednesday morning.

Lunch is a proper meal. In many schools the midday break is long, and pupils either eat a sit-down meal of several courses in the canteen or go home to eat. Adults often take a real lunch break too, and dinner tends to be later than in Britain or northern Europe. When your pen pal describes a normal day, the timings make a natural subject for comparison.

Holidays by zone

The school year begins with la rentrée in early September, a moment that feels almost national, with new stationery lists everywhere. Two-week breaks follow through the year, including one around All Saints' Day in late October. The winter and spring holidays are staggered: mainland France is split into three zones with different dates, partly to spread the crowds at holiday resorts. Two pen pals in different French cities may not be on holiday at the same time.

France also extends well beyond Europe. Overseas regions such as Réunion in the Indian Ocean and Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean are part of France and use the euro, just like Paris. A pen pal there may live with tropical weather and speak a Creole language alongside French, which is worth knowing before you mention "the French winter".

The year has its own markers:

• January: the galette des rois, a cake with a small charm hidden inside, shared from Epiphany (6 January) onwards.
• 1 May: Labour Day, when sprigs of lily of the valley are given for luck.
• 21 June: the Fête de la Musique, when amateur and professional musicians play in streets across the country.
• 14 July: the national holiday, with a military parade in Paris and fireworks in towns everywhere.

Languages beyond French

French is the official language and the one your pen pal will write in, but regional languages have not vanished. Breton, Basque, Occitan, Alsatian and Corsican are still spoken and taught in their regions, sometimes in bilingual schools. If you are learning French, a pen pal can show you the gap between textbook French and how people write to friends, from the dropped ne in negatives to everyday abbreviations. Most people are glad to help a learner who makes an effort; a simple Bonjour goes a long way.

First questions

• What does your Wednesday look like?
• Which region are you in, and what is it known for that outsiders never mention?
• What is a typical school or work lunch where you are?
• Does your area have its own language or dialect, and does anyone you know speak it?

The misconception to leave behind is that France is Paris. Most French people do not live there, and a pen pal in Lille, Marseille or a village in the Auvergne will have a very different picture of their country. Letters across borders can take a while, so many pen pals stay digital and send postcards for special occasions.