It's mid-October, and I woke up to a chilly room. The small panel on the wall has words like '난방' (heating), '외출' (away), and '예약' (schedule), but I don't know which one to press. I heard that even an international student stood in front of this board for a long time during her first autumn here. ## What gets warm isn't the air, it's the floor Heating in Korean homes doesn't work by warming the air. There are pipes laid under the floor, and water heated by the boiler runs through those pipes. So when you sit on the floor it's warm, and when your feet are warm, the whole room feels cozy. ## Why the floor, of all places? This method is called 'ondol.' In the old days, a fire was lit in the furnace opening so that hot air passed beneath the floor of the room. Koreans ate their meals sitting on the floor, and they spread their bedding on the floor to sleep. So the floor had to be warm. These days we use a boiler instead of a fire, but the idea is the same. We take off our shoes at the entrance for the same reason: the floor is where we live. ## What to know the first time you turn it on - Press 'Heating' and set the temperature. It takes time for the floor to warm up, so if it isn't warm right away, it's not broken. - When you're away from home for a few days, don't turn it off; press 'Away' instead. It keeps the pipes from freezing in winter. - How gas bills are charged differs from home to home. Ask the building management office or your landlord.