Pen pals in Pakistan

In much of Pakistan the long school holiday is not a break from the sunshine but a refuge from it. Schools in the plains typically close for June and July, the hottest stretch of the year, and the new academic year usually begins in August, though provinces set their own dates and sometimes extend the break when the heat or monsoon rains are severe. If your pen pal is a student, their "new school year" letter may arrive while you are still on holiday.

The country is larger and more varied than its outline on a map suggests. It runs from the Arabian Sea coast at Karachi, through the farmland of Punjab and Sindh along the Indus, to the high mountains of the north, where K2 sits on the border with China. A pen pal in Lahore, one in Peshawar and one in a village in Gilgit-Baltistan will describe very different weather, food and weekends. Ask about the summer monsoon: it brings relief from the heat and, often, flooded streets.

Which language, and when

Urdu is the national language and the shared language of the country, and English is an official language used in government, courts, higher education and much of business. Yet for most Pakistanis Urdu is not the first language they learned at home. Punjabi is the most widely spoken mother tongue, and Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki and Balochi each have millions of speakers, along with many smaller languages in the north. A pen pal may move between three languages in a single day without thinking of it as anything special.

That makes Pakistan a good match if you are learning English and want a partner who may use it at school or work, or if you are curious about Urdu. Urdu is written right to left in a flowing Perso-Arabic script, usually in the Nastaliq style, and a pen pal who sends a line of it in their own handwriting is giving you something a textbook cannot. "Assalam-o-alaikum" is the everyday greeting you will see most often.

A common assumption from outside is that the whole country shares one culture and one language. It is closer to the truth to think of a shared national life laid over strong regional identities, each with its own food, dress, music and humour. Letting your pen pal tell you which of those matter to them is better than guessing.

Dates to listen out for

The biggest moments of the year are religious and national. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the month of daytime fasting, and Eid al-Adha follows about two months later; both follow the Islamic lunar calendar and move around eleven days earlier each year. During Ramadan, daily rhythms shift, with meals before dawn and at sunset, so replies may be slower. Independence Day on 14 August fills streets with green and white flags, lights and celebrations. And for many families, cricket follows its own calendar, whether on television or in a narrow lane with a taped tennis ball.

If you are unsure what to ask, world questions gathers everyday questions that members around the world answer.

Some good openers:

• What language do you speak at home, and which do you use at school or work?
• What does your city or village feel like in the middle of June?
• How does your family spend the days of Eid?
• What is a dish from your region that people elsewhere in Pakistan might not know?