A woman who met the “love of her life” abroad has revealed how they didn’t speak the same language and spent three years in a long-distance relationship.
Jada Ketley, 31, and Isaac Santos, 28, had an “instant connection” when they first laid eyes on each other, but had to rely on Google Translate to communicate.
The pair met in Phuket, Thailand – where they were both living at the time – with Jada originally from Australia and Isaac hailing from Brazil.
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The pair fell head over heels with each other.
When Isaac had to return home due to unforeseen circumstances after six months, they decided to try long-distance – living 10,000 miles apart for three years.
“We were never really supposed to do long distance,” Jada, a martial arts coach, told What’s The Jam.
“But I couldn’t imagine a life without Isaac, and luckily for me, he felt the exact same way.
“When two people truly want each other, nothing can keep them apart. Love will find a way.
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“We just had to take it day by day.
“There was always that lingering feeling of ‘I wish Isaac was here to see this’ or just knowing how much more special the experience would be with my person by my side.
“It was hard to enjoy life to the fullest without my other half.
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“We spoke about the fact that maybe we were just fighting a losing battle – but neither of us wanted to quit.
“Luckily for Isaac and I, we just kept choosing each other.”
Jada and Isaac met in January 2020 after both moving to Thailand for their careers as martial arts fighters.
Despite being shy and the obvious language barrier, sparks flew instantly.
She said: “I went home that day and my exact words to my mum were ‘I met my boyfriend’.
“We found each other’s Instagrams a little while after, where we spoke for several months before meeting up for our first date.
“But after [this], we were inseparable.
“He basically moved in with me.
“We spent the first week using Google Translate, but we spoke about everything in depth.
“Family, religious and spiritual beliefs, past traumas; anything you can think of.
“Then one day, Isaac decided he didn’t want to use Google Translate anymore, and we never did again.
“That’s when his English really started to progress.
“I speak a little bit of Portuguese now, but we mostly communicate in English.
“I used to think I was crazy for having these intense feelings for someone I didn’t really know while we were speaking over Instagram.
“But from the moment I saw Isaac, there was just something there.
“After a week of us dating, I told him, ‘This is going to sound crazy, but I’m in love with you’.
“I told him it wasn’t one of those things where he has to say it back, but that I just wanted him to know that’s how I truly felt.
“It took him three months before he said it, but he told me that that day he wanted to say it back too.
“He was worried we were just being crazy kids.
“But I knew straight away that something about us was rare and special.”
Isaac and Jade were initially separated due to the pandemic, with work drying up for the pair.
After 18 months, they were able to briefly reunite, but then tragedy struck as Isaac was injured in a motorbike accident and had to go home once more, which delayed his return further.
Luckily, Isaac was then sponsored on a flight back to Thailand in 2024.
He worked hard, saving all his earnings, and took a chance on Jada, moving back for good.
Jada added: “There were a lot of people who doubted that we were going to survive the distance, but our close friends and family were very supportive of the relationship and always wished us the best.
“Isaac and I are really happy with the direction things are going right now.
“We are both still focused on training and fighting, but have more of a vision on what we’d like to build together in the future.
“Of course, there is that back-of-the-mind anxiety of what if we had to do long distance again.
“But we’ve always been able to overcome it, and we’ve always found a way back to each other.
“I’d like our relationship to be a testimony to the fact that true love really does win.
“If two people continuously choose each other no matter the trials and tribulations they face, they will always come out the victors, no matter the distance.”
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