Kirjais, a village in the Finnish archipelago

It is clear that we all feel like we live in the best place in the world - and if this is not the case, perhaps it's time to consider moving. I don't actually live in Kirjais myself, but on the island of Ytterholm, right next to Kirjais. However, Kirjais is where I grew up and therefore, Kirjais is the best village in the world for me.

It's easy to list everything you can find in Kirjais - a village shop, a summer restaurant, a course center, and a fantastic village association. Or you can list everything we do together - we organize famous auctions, beach volleyball tournaments, midsummer celebrations around our tall midsummer pole, or we build a playground, a book exchange tower, a fire alarm, or dock edges together. One way or another, the list is long - in our village, there's never a shortage of passionate people and projects, and new ones are constantly being found. We're used to the fact that if we want something, it's best to get to work ourselves - and at the same time, discover that we're capable of much more than we thought. Collective self-confidence is top-notch in Kirjais.

Did I mention that Kirjais also has its own history? And a bilingual children's book that lists the village's various sights. The first edition ran out, so we printed 100 more copies.

Text by Alice Björklöf

However, the best thing about Kirjais is the sense of community and village spirit. It's not that we never have disagreements, but more often than not, we gather for joint meetings. They don't always have to be formal occasions with laden tables - which, of course, are fun - but for example, one of the most pleasant memories of last spring was when each of us sat on our own piece of board and celebrated that we had found the water pipe for our fire alarm.

By the way, our fire alarm is now ready. It has required many joyful hours of voluntary work. We accumulate these volunteer hours. You can't build a terrace or a fire alarm in one afternoon. However, our new playground fence was built in almost one afternoon. The spirit of volunteerism is a great resource when the call goes out and 10-20 people rush to the site, depending on the nature of the work. When we organize our traditional summer auction, there are usually 30-60 volunteers involved the night before and on the day of the event. What a wealth! And otherwise, it wouldn't work.

As in many villages in Nauvo, our summer residents are a great source of joy for us. They have been actively involved in the village association since its establishment, throughout the years, and still today. Without this cooperation between permanent and summer residents, our village wouldn't be the same.

Text by Alice Björklöf

When you ask a Kirjais resident what the best thing about our village is, the community spirit is always number one. However, there are many other things that visitors can enjoy! I've tried to create my own top five list, and if you want the most authentic Kirjais tip, it's to have fun TOGETHER. That's the key to success!