Monrovia — "Normal days" is the expression used by many Liberians to refer to the time before the civil war, when institutions functioned fairly well and the country's infrastructure was intact.
As you might imagine, the phrase is used to cover everything from taxi rides on the once-smooth streets of Monrovia to the services which were provided by good medical institutions. But it also evokes a picture of tall buildings lining the city's major thoroughfares, uncharred by explosions and fire.
In the period after "normal days," buildings were riddled with bullet holes. People displaced from their homes elsewhere moved to Monrovia and occupied damaged public buildings, some of them right in the heart of the city.
There was little or no night life for lack of electricity. Ex-combatants without a source of income indulged in crime. United Nations peacekeepers manned checkpoints across the city.
But now Liberia is different.
"I see lots of changes," says Ghislaine Grasser, grant officer for Liberia of the McCall MacBain Foundation, a private foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland. "I see many more shops opening. Houses have been repainted. Many more people are out during night hours.
"I see much more activity, more markets. Much more traffic as well. Outside Monrovia, I see lots of markets which I didn't see a year-and-a-half ago. Lots of people are selling food on the sides of the roads."
Both private and public institutions are taking responsibility for fixing infrastructure for business and administrative purposes. There is a lot of construction in the capital, with buildings being renovated everywhere.
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The bare and damaged structures which gave the city an odd look – especially to visitors – are being upgraded. You can't walk a mile down Monrovia's streets without seeing the improvements.
Among the most visible activity is the rehabilitation of major roads in many parts of the country, sponsored by the World Bank and being implemented by the China Henan International Cooperation Group (Chico).
Until recently, the state of the roads made it very difficult to move from one place to another. Even in Monrovia, the streets were so littered with potholes that some likened driving on the major Tubman Boulevard to a rollercoaster ride.
Aside from the infrastructure, it's easy to notice improvements in every sector of Liberian society. Whether it's in the justice system, the press, or in education and health, the transition from crisis mode to "normal days" is gradually taking place.
A major hurdle is finding jobs for more than 70 percent of the population and especially for young people. The government is looking to the private sector to tackle the problem.
"Obviously Liberia is making progress but there still is a long way to go," says Joe Matthews, chief executive officer of Arcelor Mittal Liberia, the local arm of one of the world's largest steel companies.
"There are a lot of companies coming in and bringing Western practices of good corporate governance. But change is a difficult thing… It is not going to happen overnight but the will is there," Matthews concluded.
