I'm one of those people who never really had an awakening proper. As long as I can remember I didn't feel human, didn't feel right in my body, didn't relate to other people like everyone else seemed to. I never really looked into it until I was around 18, but I wouldn't call that an awakening so much as a thought of "gee I wonder if there are any other people who feel like this". Google led me to the otherkin community and I finally joined it in college. The rest, as they say, is history <!-- s

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As for telling people, I told a few friends and most were supportive. One expressed feeling that the concept (before I told him I identified with it) was a little nuts, but in general I really only tell people I care enough about to want them to know that part of me and who I am pretty sure are open minded enough and so forth to understand.