Leaving your friends and family for four months to study in a different country is tough. However, traveling with your best friends makes it a little bit easier and way more fun. By the end of it all, you've basically gained a whole other family with a bond like no other. Here's why your study abroad friends are actually your extended siblings.

1. You get homesick together.

Homesickness is the worst form of sick you can be when you're away. Luckily, When you have your friends around to cheer you up and distract you from missing home, it's really comforting. If you can't be with your family at home, you can at least be with your other family at school.

2. You always have someone looking out for you.

Being completely independent, self-reliant, and responsible for your own well-being, without your family to back you up, is scary. But when you have your squad with you, you'll always have someone who has your back no matter what. If you forgot to eat that day, someone will sneak you back lunch. If you're about to miss the bus, chances are someone is distracting the bus driver so you can get on on time. If someone is annoying you at the bar, someone will be there to politely get you away from the creepy stranger. Even if you're wrong, your squad will always be there to defend you and say you're right.

3. You go through growing pains together.

You grow up a lot when you study abroad. You're on your own in a new setting, taking classes in a completely different learning environment, trying to see as much of the world as possible, all while trying to maintain healthy relationships with your loved ones back home. What makes all these growing pains easier is knowing that your friends are going through the exact same thing. You're all growing up and discovering new things about yourselves together. They easily understand how you're feeling, and are always there to comfort you or make you laugh during your mental breakdowns.

4. They're still your family even when you come home.

What's best about studying abroad with your best friends is that when you come home, they're still your squad. You will still go on crazy adventures, have late night talks and gossip sessions, go to the bars, celebrate birthdays, go through turmoils and triumphs, learn from one another, and still have each others backs. The bond you formed is like no other. They're your extended siblings, other family, and second home. What's even better is that you wouldn't want it any other way.