Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
BOCAUE — Alyssa Valdez may be making a name for herself overseas, but she wouldn’t miss spending Christmas back home for the world.
“Christmas in the Philippines is unique. I really would not exchange anything for experiencing Christmas here,” said Valdez, who flew to Manila from Taiwan on Sunday.
The volleyball superstar took a short reprieve from her obligations with Attack Line in Taiwan, to spend the holidays at home.
She even watched her boyfriend Kiefer Ravena play for NLEX on Monday before she goes back to Taiwan on Tuesday.
Although it was just quick break, Valdez said her brief stay was worth it.
The 24-year-old said she’s thankful for the experience playing overseas after seeing action for 3BB Nakornnont in Thailand and Attack Line in Taiwan.
“In Thailand, I honestly didn’t get to play a lot. It’s a different level of play and there were lots of good players there,” she shared.
“This time in Taiwan, I was given a chance to play, but it’s a different setup. It’s a really different experience because I needed to do a different adjustment in Taipei. It was more on communicating because of the language barrier, aside from the system of playing in Chinese Taipei. But there are a lot of talented players in Taiwan who can play internationally.”
Valdez is also glad to have showcased her talent in Taiwan.
“They (Taiwanese) have been telling me that the situation of volleyball in Taiwan and the Philippines are the same in that they are also trying to show people that they have something with volleyball. I hope that volleyball can also be big there like it is here,” she said.
For 2018, however, Valdez is committed to staying at home as she is set to return to Creamline in the Premier Volleyball League.
“Next year, I’m planning to focus on Creamline,” she said. “Just this year, I really travelled a lot and (Creamline) supported me throughout, especially on my national team stint. They really sacrificed a lot for me, and I think I really have to focus on my team.”
But Valdez isn’t closing her doors if an opportunity knocks once again.
“Still, I’m open to any opportunity that might come my way,” she said.