I've luckily had it fairly easy (it's pretty easy when you live in Berkeley, California), but I have definitely heard stories like yours, even some friends that had to stop being vegan because the social/cultural implications were too much to overcome. For me, I've focused mostly on those things that I KNOW I can control, but try not to be too hard on myself. That said, even starting as a vegetarian has been a bit-by-bit process, slowly getting rid of one animal product at a time. I'll never be a "perfect" vegan, but that's because nobody can be. Thanks for sharing!