Hey there....Sorry you had to deal with that. Just a few points for me to mention, as I used to be very shy in my late teens/early 20's and I really worked hard at it and had some success (I'm 27 now). There is certainly nothing wrong with being shy. Conversing with anyone, let alone strangers, is very difficult. You won't necessarily have to be shy your whole life if you don't like. Although like I said there's nothing wrong. If you'd like to change, go ahead and change it. Pick up a copy of Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people." That's a good start. I find the best way to interact with strangers is a very simple way....just smile and say "how are you?" Practice smiling at everyone when you walk by them. People will naturally talk to you first if you smile at them. That's a good start I think. Good luck to you.