Nora Nadjarian was born in 1966 in Limassol , a city on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus . Her grandparents were Armenian refugees who moved to Cyprus in the beginning of the 20th century . She first attended an Armenian elementary school , then moved to a private school called Foley 's Grammar School where she graduated from high school . She obtained a degree from Manchester University 's department of modern languages and linguistics and then returned to Cyprus . She taught in Limassol and then in Nicosia , where she is currently residing . She visited her ancestral homeland of Armenia in 1983 which inspired her to write poems based on ethnic identity , cultural self-discovery , her Armenian roots and the tragic fate of the nation . She first decided to participate in a competition because of the encouragements of a friend , and after being acknowledged for her poem " Vinegar " ( 1999 – 2000 ) she continued to take part in numerous international competitions
tragic fate of the nation
Armenian Genocide
Nora Nadjarian