Jaja Santiago on Her Third Season in Japan: "A Roller Coaster Ride"

Not all Filipina volleyball can play in Japan. Then, there's Jaja Santiago. Not only did she play as an import in Japan's V. Cup. She also became the first Filipina volleyball player to win a championship in an international competition. The biggest thing of it: it happened during a pandemic when Santiago away from her family.

It wasn't easy.

On Monday, Santiago guested on Off the Record with Migs and Cesca to talk about her recent success with Migs Bustos and Cesca Litton-Kalaw.

When asked by Bustos about her experience in her third season with the Saitama Ageo Medics, Santiago murmured the words, "Like a roller coaster," to start things off.

She continued, "First of all, there's a pandemic. I stopped playing for six months here. Working out but not really active. All of my routines changed. When I went to Japan, getting the body's (playing) condition back was difficult,"

Santiago shared the drastic changed she and her team endured. "The coaching staff got changed. Many left in my team. My import partner got changed. Our team did so many adjustments this season and I didn't expect that towards the end of the V.Cup, the run of the team was good,"

When asked about how it feels being an in import in Japan, Jaja Santiago has this to say, "It's overwhelming that you didn't expect you would reach this part of your life but, in God's will, I can achieve this,"

Screenshot is from Off the Record with Migs and Cesca Facebook page