The official languages of Galicia are gallego and Spanish. As I mentioned previously, gallego, though similar to Spanish in sound and vocabulary, is very much its own language. The existence of this separate regional language is a point of pride for many Galician people, and gallego is taught in the classroom just as English and Spanish are. Many teachers at my school prefer speaking gallego during casual conversations. Additionally, many of them are passionate about teaching the language and want to ensure that it does not become lost in an increasingly globalized world dominated by English and Spanish. There is also a growing focus on teaching English in Galician schools, hence my being here. This phenomenon can be seen across Europe and, I imagine, the majority of the world.
As Spain is a member of the European Union, the euro is the primary currency used. At present, one euro is worth 1.14 U.S. dollars, so the euro is currently worth a bit more than the dollar. There are also euro coins, with values of 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro, and 2 euros. I like having the 1 and 2 euro coins, though they are a bit difficult to carry in my wallet. Before Spain adopted the euro in 1999, the peseta, literally "little piece," was the primary currency.
