I arrived thinking a cafe was a place you went to avoid working. Here it is where the work happens, and it happens at hours that would be considered a cry for help at home.
The place two streets over has individual desks, outlets at every seat, and a steady population at one in the morning during exam weeks. You buy a drink, you stay as long as you like, and nobody hovers.
The social part
What surprised me is that going is not solitary. My classmates text the group chat, four people turn up, everyone works separately for three hours and then goes for food together. It is company without conversation, which is an underrated thing when you are tired and your language skills are spent.
You are not studying alone. You are studying near people, which turns out to be different.