Julius Tuvenvall of Stockholm, Sweden (second from right) just completed his school year as a junior at Forks High School. He is heading home this week along with his family who flew to Seattle from Stockholm to join him on a family vacation along the West Coast. The family took a ride up to Hurricane Ridge on Wednesday, June 27 before heading south to Los Angeles. 

Pictured are Julius’ brother Filip, 15, a champion diver back home in Stockholm, and his parents Goram and Asa Tuvenvall. His father is employed in the software side of the international NASDAQ stock exchange. The family spent two years in Manhattan when the boys were younger. All spoke English fluently. 

Julius played on the JV Spartan basketball team and focused on his painting and ceramic art work during his year at Forks High. Peter Breed and Molly Erickson played host at their Bear Creek home to the young Swede during his school year on the West End. 

The Bear Creek couple said they would miss their young exchange student. Molly, who has Scandinavian heritage, said she hopes to pay a visit to Sweden one day.

He said he found a lot more school spirit playing sports as a Spartan then is usually found in Sweden. There, Julius said, athletes generally focus on one sport, like soccer or hockey, and play year-round, but outside of school in intramural competition, thus there isn’t much of a connection between the school and team sports.

Just before leaving Bear Creek Julius received word that he’s been accepted at a top-level art-focused high school course in Stockholm. He plans to major in art in college. One of his impressionist portraits done in acrylics was chosen for display in a Port Angeles art show during his school year.

The Tuvenvalls said Forks is well known in Sweden for being the key location in the Twilight books an films, though that wasn’t a major factor in Julius seeking an exchange student home in the Forks area. He said girls in his class in Stockholm were jealous of his opportunity to live in the Twilight’s home town.