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!
Haha, yeah so many of the vegan bloggers or shops all seem to be in California! Helps having like minded people around. :)