A Walk Down Memory Lane: What Did Club Life Look During the Pandemic?

The global pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was a predicament for the entirety of AUBG – and the clubs were no exception. Clubs known for their annual large-scale events, such as Olympics, More Honors, and the Business Club had to overcome a lot of difficulties to keep the AUBG community engaged. Three alumni reminisce about their experience with extracurricular activities during COVID times.

Eternal Flame: Olympics During Lockdown Years

Olympics is one of AUBG’s oldest clubs, and its biggest event, D-Day, gathers hundreds of students yearly with its grandiose opening ceremony and variety of sports one can take part in.

Georgi Staykov, a 2021 alumnus, vividly remembers his first year in Olympics. The club was at the center of his university life. “When I joined Olympics, in the fall of 2017, it was the brightest spark on campus for me and 40 more students. It embodied the zest for life, dynamic non-stop movement, adventures, laughter, competitions, and camaraderie,” said Georgi.

Staying motivated and connected during COVID times was not easy for Olympics, where most events require large groups of people in one place.

Georgi, who was the club president during the academic year 2020-2021, was happy to see how much they were able to achieve despite all odds being against them.

“We were banned from using the sports hall. We were banned from grouping together. We were obliged to wear masks while organizing and playing sports and keep our distance. Oh, and use hand sanitizer. The world simply did everything it could to disconnect us and AUBG,” he shared.

Because of the harsh anti-COVID measures, D-Day did not take place in April 2020, as was originally planned. The event was postponed to September 2021. During the academic year 2021/2022, there were two D-Days: one in September 2021 and a regular one in April 2022.

The way Olympics handled the unprecedented situation is proof of their dedication to the club and their strength as a team, according to the former club president.

 “That flag with the phoenix you see inside the sports hall today? We waved it from the roof of ABF. Then we set out to host our culminating event – the Olympiad, also known as D-Day. And we did. Best year of my life,” Georgi said fondly.

More Struggles for More Honors

More Honors’ humorous representation of university life has made them one of the most recognizable clubs on campus. They turn film enthusiasts into video creators while reminding students and professors not to take themselves too seriously.

2020 was a very turbulent year for the members, who tried their best to see the brighter side of the situation.

Marieta Milusheva (class of 2021) remembers the struggles More Honors had to face during the lockdown. “Hosting an event during that year was a Russian roulette – you could always expect your event to be canceled a week or a day before, or worse- having people sick after the event,” she shared.

Yet, for them, this was also an opportunity to improve upon their skills and quickly think of solutions.

“The uncertainty of whether we’d be able to host a ‘real’ show forced us to be creative - we bought an online streaming controller, figured out a way to integrate a few cameras into the livestream, and show the reactions of winners in real-time from BAC,” said Marieta.

Although More Honors is still viewed as one of the clubs with the most close-knit members, the pandemic united them even more. “I feel like the circumstances made us as close as we’d ever been, as it was our coping mechanism at the time.”

Getting Business Done in COVID times

The Business Club has experienced many ups and downs during its 20-year-long existence. As of now, they are known as one of AUBG’s most ambitious clubs, actively working to bridge the gap between students and experienced marketers and entrepreneurs.

Vladin Bonov joined the Business Club during the Fall 2018 semester, his sophomore year. It was a very spontaneous decision, but he did not regret it.

“What I remember is that the interview was particularly fun and absurd at the same time, so that made a good impression on me,” he said.

Back then, the club tried being active while managing not to stress its members with too big of a workload.

“The president at the time – Mustafa Ramadan – also really wanted to make sure that the club is proactive, creates great events and people have fun,” Vladin shared. “I am not necessarily sure that people really cared about the business part of the club, yet I feel that they enjoyed having fun and that is what probably kept them together.”

The pandemic did not go easy on the Business Club. They had difficulties in being consistent with events and conflicts arose between board members.

“I remember being a president and probably not the best one. The board of the club did not seem to be always in agreement and when COVID hit we did not manage to organize one of our major events. From my point of view, this unfortunately proceeded throughout the following years,” Vladin said.

Three years have passed since the pandemic ended and it seems like AUBG’s clubs are back in full force. Still, it takes an issue of this scale to remind the student body how vital social gatherings and extracurricular activities are for university life.

Editors: Niya Manditsch and David Mitov