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# A City You Can Make Your Own
- URL: https://www.thesegovian.com/a-city-you-can-make-your-own/
- Published: 2026-10-11T21:36:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-11T21:58:34.000Z
- Description: A family performance of Camuñas prompts a reflection on belonging, participation and the everyday encounters that make Segovia feel like home.
- Author: The Segovian Editorial Team
- Tags: El Editorial

On Sunday, I went to see Camuñas, surrounded by children and families. Photography was not allowed during the performance. What stayed with me was the story, and the pleasure of sharing it with a family audience.

The children confronted a monster who frightened them. Through courage and laughter, they reduced his power over them. My reading of the story was that they also offered him another possibility: to see that what he carried inside mattered more than his ability to scare children.

I left thinking about how a place becomes part of our lives. A theatre visit might seem a modest starting point for a reflection on belonging. Yet these are the experiences through which a city acquires personal meaning. We remember where we were, what moved us, and what we talked about afterwards. Gradually, we have our own stories to tell about it.

Segovia is easy to admire. Learning how to participate in it takes more curiosity. Its monuments give newcomers an immediate introduction; the rest unfolds through smaller encounters, repeated visits and the willingness to walk into a room where we do not yet know anyone.

For someone arriving from another country, that willingness can take effort. There may be a language barrier, uncertainty about local customs, or simply the feeling that everyone else already has their circle. An invitation that seems obvious to an established resident may be invisible to a newcomer. Knowing that something is happening does not always mean knowing whether it is for you.

This is where local institutions, associations and businesses can make a practical difference. Clear information about an event, an explanation of how to take part, or a welcome that does not assume prior knowledge can help someone make that first visit. International residents have a part to play too: showing up, asking questions, listening and returning.

This Saturday’s FeriAJE offers one such opening. Meeting people who are building businesses here is a way to discover the working city behind familiar streets. A conversation at a stand can introduce us to a service we need, a project we might support, or someone whose experience changes our understanding of the place.

The same curiosity can take us out after dark. At Canavan’s, a place I enjoy, the music of the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s offers an immediate point of connection. Later, the atmosphere changes, with a contemporary soundtrack and a mix of IE students and local people. For me, it is another setting in which the city feels shared.

A theatre audience, a business fair and a dance floor bring people together in different ways. None guarantees a lasting relationship. But each creates an opportunity to move beyond our usual company and encounter people whose lives run alongside ours. Those opportunities deserve attention when we talk about the kind of city we want.

Of course, belonging cannot be reduced to a list of places to visit. Housing, work and the ability to afford everyday life shape who can stay and participate. Going to a performance cannot resolve those questions. It can, however, remind us of what is at stake: the possibility of building a life here that includes other people.

That is part of the purpose I want The Segovian to serve. Alongside examining the city’s challenges, we can help readers find a way into its everyday life. We can explain an unfamiliar event, introduce the people behind a business, and share experiences that make the next invitation easier to accept.

This week, perhaps start with one place or one conversation. Go to the fair. Book a performance. Visit somewhere you have been curious about. Give yourself a reason to return.

A city becomes yours through the life you build in it.

Allan Barrera  
Editor, The Segovian