Rasim Valdes Laribi, from Geneva, Switzerland, is no stranger to Scotland, having studied social anthropology and international relations at the University of St Andrews, the third oldest in the English-speaking world.

While we can’t claim to be centuries old, the Chippendale school must also be vying for that accolade in furniture design and making, with over three decades of welcoming students from all over the world.

Rasim comes to the Chippendale school having worked as a jewellery designer and a maker of bamboo flutes – underlining his creativity, practicality and desire to work with his hands.

Coming here was, he says, a natural step to add to the skills he already has, and learn the practicalities of fine woodworking.

His plan is either to move to Yorkshire, where his sister now lives, or to Mexico, to where his parents have retired – and where his father is setting up his own glassworks.