First of all, being Therian is a little bit like having a furona on some levels. You'll feel a strong connection to a particular animal, then it will begin to become more and more specific and individual. The part where being Therian is different is how deep the connection goes, and how it will start to affect your actions, way of doing things, thinking, and your over all view of the world.
This isn't something that happens over one night though, and can take YEARS to fully awaken.
Truthfully, awakenings can rarely be forced into being, but usually something sudden can give the awakening a little bit of a boost in speed, including giving it a jump start.
The only thing I can think of to start an awakening in public without seeming strange to people is to go to a zoo, and just walk around thinking about your life. After a while you should (Not a sure thing mind you) find yourself watching one of the animals and feel a bit of something (It's really hard to describe exactly what the feeling is do to the mix of emotions involved) and you may notice that the animal is of a type you've always had an interest in.
