The people I spoke to told me they appreciated the meetup as they can find it hard to relate to other people. Like Derek, many spent their childhoods completely removed from mainstream pop culture, so lack a shared set of references with most Americans. But Kupferstein said that while she still hasn't figured out the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek, she feels there are more fundamental differences. "I was raised to be communal," she said. "No identity, no sense of self. I had no idea what my favorite hair color was or shoe style or anything like that, I just knew what I needed to do to contribute to the collectivist group. My self-worth was measured by how much I contributed to the community so stepping away from that and finding that there’s no such concept in America, most people are very individualistic, it’s all about them—and I had to learn that it isn’t a selfish thing, it’s what life requires of you.