EPIK TEACHER: 3 TIPS FOR FAMILY & FRIENDS WHO’LL VISIT

Since moving to Busan I’ve been fortunate to house lovely guests such as my dad, brother, aunt, uncle, couple cousins, and best friend. They have flown thousands of miles to tour part of the world I’ve called home for 15 months. Through playing host, I have noticed what has helped make their stay a little more comfortable and wanted to share 3 helpful tips for when you start to have guests of your own.

1. Invest in a rockin’ floor mattress

Sleeping on the floor is fairly common in South Korea and floor mattresses are surprisingly pretty comfortable. Look for affordable ones at your local mart, grocery store, or even online shops like Gmarket. Most apartments will have heated floors too, which makes sleeping on the ground not as bad as you think.

Basic Bedding, Gmarket, ₩18,900

2. Map out good eats that cater to your guests

If your visitors are new to South Korea, they’re likely not used to the local food or have a clue on what to order. My cousin does not eat meat and it helped that I knew a few veggie dishes (bibimbap is usually vegetarian friendly!) and scoped out places around my area I knew she would like before her arrival so we weren’t walking around aimlessly for a place to chow down. When it came to my dad and brother, I knew they’d love the cheap, market eats like kimbap or noodle dishes so I pointed out as many side-street markets as I could, and they loved it!

3. Create a DIY info card

Being in an entirely new country is overwhelming so, providing guests with an info card will be a HUGE help. Cut out a paper the size of a business card and write down the money conversion on one side, for example:

1,000 KRW – $1.21 CDN
5,000 KRW – $6.09 CDN
10,000 KRW – $12.19 CDN

On the other side of the card, write down your address in Korean (in case they need to take a taxi), directions in English on how to get to your place via public transit, and phone number. Your school will likely have a laminator so go ahead and make that DIY info card extra sturdy! Your guests will appreciate it, trust me.