At the beginning of the xxi century, young people adopted through international adoption in Barcelona recall in a paradoxical way the figure of the stranger as described by Simmel at the beginning of last century. They are perceived both as close and distant : close as they have grown up most of their life in the society of which their adoptive parents are native and yet so often seen as different because of their appearance. Indeed, although they consider themselves fully citizens of the place where they are living, many of them are not perceived like such by others when they are in public spaces. It is this paradox we analyze here. How do these young adopted people negotiate their presence in the Catalan society and which place is made for them?