Enkaz, il gatto salvato dal terremoto in Turchia

Enkaz, the cat saved from the earthquake in Turkey

dopo il devastante terremoto che ha colpito il Sud-est della Turchia e la Siria il 6 febbraio, ali Cakas, un ciclista di 33 anni che fa parte della squadra nazionale turca, si è recato sul posto per prestare soccorso alle vittime. 

durante una missione a Nurdağı, un distretto della provincia di Gaziantep, ha notato un gatto bianco tra le macerie di un edificio. 

Nonostante fossero trascorse ben 129 ore dal sisma e le speranze di trovare qualcuno in vita fossero ridotte al minimo, la squadra di soccorso ha continuato a scavare. E fortunatamente, Ali è riuscito a salvare il gatto, stanco e ferito. 

Ali l’ha preso con sé e l’ha curato, dandogli il nome di Enkaz, che in turco significa “macerie”.
da quel momento, i due sono diventati inseparabili, e le foto del gattone sempre appiccicato al suo salvatore hanno fatto il giro del mondo.

Una piccola favola di speranza e solidarietà in un momento così tragico per le vittime del terremoto.

Keywords

il terremoto: earthquake – 地震

recarsi: to go – 去, 赴

prestare soccorso: to provide aid – 提供援助

turco/a: Turkish – 土耳其的

il gatto: cat – 猫

vivo/a: alive – 活着

le macerie: rubble, debris – 废墟、碎石

il sisma: earthquake – 地震

ridotte al minimo: reduced to a minimum – 减少到最低限度

inseparabili: inseparable – 不可分割的

appiccicato/a: stuck, glued – 粘在一起的

Grammar

Nonostante + congiuntivo
Concessive conjunctions + subjunctive mood

Nonostante fossero trascorse ben 129 ore dal sisma
(Despite 129 hours had passed since the earthquake)

The word “nonostante” is a concessive conjunction that is used to introduce a clause that expresses a contrast or opposition to what was stated in the main clause.
When “nonostante” is followed by a clause, the verb in the subordinate clause is usually in the subjunctive mood. This is because the subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, uncertainty, or a hypothetical situation, which is often the case in concessive clauses.

Other concessive conjunctions that are often followed by the subjunctive mood in Italian include “benché” (although), “sebbene” (although), “malgrado” (in spite of), “a dispetto di” (in spite of), “pur” (although).

For example:

  • Benché piova, esco a fare una passeggiata. (Although it’s raining, I’m going for a walk.)
  • Sebbene abbia cercato di chiamarlo, non ho avuto risposta. (Although I tried to call him, I didn’t get an answer.)
  • Malgrado piova, il concerto si è svolto regolarmente. (In spite of the rain, the concert took place as planned.)

Translation

After the devastating earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey and Syria on February 6th, Ali Cakas, a 33-year-old cyclist who is part of the Turkish national team, went to the area to provide assistance to the victims.

During a mission in Nurdağı, a district in the province of Gaziantep, he noticed a white cat among the rubble of a building. 

Despite 129 hours had passed since the earthquake and hopes of finding anyone alive were minimal, the rescue team continued to dig. And fortunately, Ali managed to save the tired and injured cat.

Ali took him with him and took care of him, naming him Enkaz, which means “rubble” in Turkish.
Since then, the two have become inseparable, and photos of the big cat always sticking to his savior have gone viral worldwide.

A small fairytale of hope and solidarity in such a tragic moment for the earthquake victims.