by Valerie Love For most transplants to New Zealand, the first words they learn in Maori are  "Kia ora” (hello) or “Haere mai”  (welcome). But for me, it was “puku", which means belly or abdomen. Although I’m originally from the United States, my partner is from Wellington. And from the very start of our relationship, she's always asked me, “How’s puku?” as a way of checking in on how I’m doing as a whole. And it’s an important question. Because the answer to “How’s puku?” reveals so … [Read more...]