facing loneliness

I have seen several movies or TV shows where there is a certain character that is facing loneliness. I've always felt compassion and sympathy towards these characters, but never have I felt what its like to be the one that feels that way. Never in my life have I sat in a place where I am surrounded by people, yet I feel entirely alone. Everyone is sitting in pairs or groups except for me. The only thing keeping me sane is my ipod and laptop. They make me appear to look busy and focused. I've met a few great people while I've been here, some who will potentially be great friends, but as of right now I have no one here. I know it has a lot to do with me, but I've never been the bold type, the type that makes conversations. No, I've always been the quiet type, the background type, the listener. It is incredibly hard for me to put myself out there and talk, it makes me incredibly vulnerable. I've never had to do it before. At home I had my support systems like my mom, my sister, my best friend. Here its just me. I'm tired of this loneliness. It's not healthy, but seeing as I've never battled with it before, I don't really know how to defeat it.