The best part about working or volunteering in Asia is that everything is so different from Western countries; so your first three months there, you will be constantly fascinated to find new things that you have never seen or, in some cases, never heard of.  As an American working in South Korea, I was continually amazed at the sights of beautiful architecture, ancient temples, landscape, and people.  Ironically though, all of the differences between Asian and Western culture can be the worst part of some people's experiences.   If you go over there, you have to accept the differences in culture and be ready to explore or live in places where not many foreigners are located (i.e. you will get stared at alot because you look different and the more rural areas and smaller cities aren't used to seeing foreigners).  Also I've found that many people that go over to work in Asia, tend to gravitate towards eating traditonally western foods because they are too timid to try all the new foods they encounter.  Now, I'm not saying you have to try everything, like the fried grasshoppers in Thailand or dog in Vietnam, I'm saying that there is alot of an incredible food out there...and since you're there, go ahead and try it!

The food I experimented with throughout Asia was incredible...from grilled fish in the Philippines to pho in Vietnam and Bibimbop in Korea.   And the best part of it all was that it was so cheap!  In the Philippines, I ate lunch for about $.30; that included grilled fish, rice, and pea soup.  I've heard the sushi in Japan is extremely cheap.  In South Korea, I would eat sushi for lunch almost every day; it was about $4.00. 

There are temples and archaeological sites scattered throughout the region including inside and outside of the main cities.  Some of the more beautiful temples were located in rural areas and surrounded by the peaceful natural scenery of rice fields or lakes.  After going through American schools that focused on American, European, and Ancient Greek history, I ended up learning a tremendous amount of Asian history simply by traveling and reading the historical site or museum's brochures and booklets.             

 Korea

 Japan

 China