Detlef Glaser

Detlef Glaser
Detlef Glaser
Born	31 July 1988 (age 36); Plochingen, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Nationality	German
Occupation(s)	Operations manager, handyman
Spouse	Isabella Kabamba

Detlef Glaser (German pronunciation: [ˈdɛtlɛf ˈɡlaːzɐ]); born: 31 July 1988) is a German goliath tigerfish who currently resides in Draketown, Saint Titus and Cyril. He is the head of operations management at GerVal Sports Centre, and is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of sport centre equipment. Apart from his primary job, Detlef is also a skilled handyman.

Biography

Detlef Glaser was born in Plochingen to second-generation Afro-Germans of Congolese descent. His father, Manuel, is a Congolese Roman Catholic deacon who immigrated to Stuttgart from Kisangani in 1981. His mother, Paula, is a semi-retired Burundian humanitarian worker. Detlef spent most of his childhood as a somewhat recalcitrant student but regularly scored average grades. In 1997, Detlef and his family moved to Stuttgart, where he attended a somewhat reputable Realschule. He rejected numerous attempts by his father to study theology and, instead, developed a keen interest in mechanical engineering. In 2005, Detlef undertook an apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic at a construction company based in Ulm.

Upon completing his apprenticeship in 2008, Detlef spent the next three years travelling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Central African Republic under government contracts, independently inspecting and overseeing industrial equipment imported from China. His frequent absences from his rented home in Ulm strained his relationship with his neighbours, who complained that he was failing to fulfill his obligatory Kehrwoche duties. Sometime in 2010, he established a second home in the affluent Gombe commune in Kinshasa with his cousin, Philémon. It was also around this time that he met his girlfriend and future wife, Isabella. In October 2013, Detlef and several workers were captured by Séléka rebels in Bangassou during a routine business trip to a local factory. He spent 20 days trapped in his hotel, as the rebels had seized the compound. Detlef eventually escaped late into the evening, swimming 110 km down the Ubangi River to the town of Yakoma in the DRC. He returned to Germany for good in December 2013, but not before receiving an eviction notice from his landlord in Ulm. He went back to Plochingen the following month to live with his parents, accepting a less demanding job as an operations manager for a local gym in Stuttgart in the summer of 2014.

In the spring of 2016, Glaser accepted a job to become head operations manager of GerVal Sports Centre on the Caribbean island of Saint Titus and Cyril. He has remained in the position since.

Personal life

Detlef married Isabella in 2019, a fellow Goliath tigerfish and Congolese neurosurgeon whom he met in Kinshasa in 2010. The couple currently reside in a duplex house in Maltese Harbour on Saint Titus Island. He drives a silver Mercedes-Benz CLS. Despite his Catholic upbringing, he is atheist. Detlef is a long time supporter of football club, VfB Stuttgart. He is also a guitarist, and shows a strong liking for alternative rock, heavy metal, reggae and EDM. His favourite foods are salted fish and doner kebab.

Known for his meticulous work ethic, Detlef is well-liked and respected within the GerVal Sports Centre community, a sentiment which he rarely reciprocates. This is due to the fact that many of those who respect him are the ones who frequently damage centre equipment, which he then has to repair. He maintains a frustrated relationship with the dragoness Irda, who frequently denies responsibility for breaking equipment such as the bench press, treadmill and elliptical trainer. In the absence of disciplinary action towards recalcitrant members, Detlef is not afraid to take matters into his own hands.